You don't know what you've missed
by Parteh Parteh Babeh
Summary: Harry goes on another whirlwind adventure at breakneck speeds and ends up with more than he could ever know. How would he react to the mysteries of the past?
1. Intro

This one is really just an experiment out of sheer boredom. I didn't really go into depth with it, I just sort of wanted to exercise my brain. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue it.

By the highway, how do you say "DEPTHS"? I say it like, "Dep-uth-us" which sounds very wrong. Is it like "Depps"? Or "Deaths"?

While it is true that you don't know what you'v got till you've lost it, it is also true that you don't know what you've been missing till you've had it.

Prologue

A month had passed since the fall of Lord Voldemort. Wizards, witches and magical creatures were still celebrating, saying Harry's name in all parts of the world, dancing late into the night, unconsciously doing magic...

"A peculiar little thing happened in London last night," the newscaster said with a small smile. "It occured in what appeared to be a fireworks show. Witnesses say that the fireworks - if they really were fireworks - formed what seemed to be a war scene, with moving figures and energetic blasts of light. The war continued from half-past seven until ten in the evening, and experts are still unable to explain this oddment. Meanwhile, in a similar story-"

"Anything on the news?" Hermione asked, striding into the room with Ron and drowning out the news. She was fiddling with a necklace's pendant, and she sat on the couch next to Harry.

"Oh, just the usual antics," Harry said, changing the channel. "Some moving formations in the sky, you know."

"I don't know why you bother to watch the Muggle news," Ron said, settling himself on the armrest on Hermione's side of the couch. He gazed around at the living room of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, then turned to look at Hermione.

"Hold this, Harry," Hermione said, handing him the necklace's chain as she continued to fiddle with the pendant."Oh, it's just a precaution, Ron," she said dismissively. "Honestly, they should really be more careful... Muggles are getting suspicious, obviously."

"Oh, let them have their flapdoodle," Ron said, waving the matter away. "They have the right to celebrate! I mean, You-Know-Who's already gone, once and for all, thanks to Harry over here..."

"When are you going to say his name, Ron?" Harry asked him, bending to look past Hermione at his best mate. "If you really believe Voldemort's gone, you should have the courage to say his name."

Ron didn't wince when Harry said "Voldemort," but he seemed to put a whole lot of effort into it. Shifting uncomfortably, he said, "Well, it's just the trauma... the aftermath of the war..."

Hermione shot him a look.

"Oh, all right," he muttered. "V-Volde-"

Suddenly, Hermione shrieked, and the world started to spin. Harry got up from the couch, still clutching the chain of Hermione's necklace. He grabbed the small pack beside him before it blurred into the rest of the world; inside it was his Firebolt and Invisibility Cloak.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the world stopped spinning, settling into place. Harry looked around, he was still in the living room, but it looked cleaner than before, and there were a few minor differences. Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen.

He heard shouting from downstairs, as if there was a fight going on. He draped the silvery cloak over his head, as a precaution, and he disappeared from view. He hurriedly scampered downstairs to see what was happening.

A snobbish lady was screaming at the top of her lungs outside the door. "You filth! You blood traitor! Scum! Don't you dare walk through these doors again!"

"I wasn't planning to!" snarled a voice from outside.

Fuming, the lady slammed the door shut and stomped up the stairs, narrowly avoiding Harry. She was grumbling incoherently.

"Foul filth... He dares besmirch the name..."

Curiously, Harry hurried down the last few remaining steps and opened the door, quietly stepping outside. A boy about his age was sitting on a motorcycle, revving it up. An odd sense of Deja Vu filled him...

Then, the motorcycle soared into the sky, leaving a trail of smoke behind. Understanding smacked Harry in the face with so much force that he almost fell over.

Unless he was very much mistaken, he had just seen a sixteen year old Sirius Black leave the house of his parents for his best friend's house. James's house. The house of Harry's father and grandparents.

But... how? How did he get transported back into time? How did he get sucked into this? He clutched the Invisibility Cloak, Firebolt, and necklace tightly, and he felt a sharp stab in his palm...

Looking down, he saw the answer to his dilemma. In his hands lay broken shards of glass, and a fine, soft powder. The powder was trickling into the air, and the shard of glass were almost crushed.

In his hands lay the remains of Hermione's old time turner.

"YOU SEE? I TOLD YOU SO!" Ron bellowed back in the present. "SAYING YOU-KNOW-WHO'S NAME STILL MAKES BAD THINGS HAPPEN! I WAS ABOUT TO SAY IT WHEN HARRY DISAPPEARED!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Ronald!" Hermione snapped, but with an edge of panic in her voice.

"Well how do you explain Harry's disappearance, then?"

"Well, as you know, I, unlike you, returned to Hogwarts for a proper N.E.W.T. year," Hermione answered promptly. Professor McGonagall kindly gave me my old time turner for all my N.E.W.T. level classes.

"And what's that got to do with Harry, disappearing, eh?" Ron asked haughtily, looking like he'd just seen the world explode in front of his eyes.

"Shut up, Ron! Where was I... oh, yes, the time turner...Well, it's been going haywire lately, and I was trying to fix it. I made Harry hold it, and I must have done something wrong, because... Well-"

"And that happens exactly when I was going to say You-Know-Who's name?" Ron taunted.

"It was just a coincidence!" Hermione said, exasperation evident in her voice.

"I think not!" Ron insisted.

"Well, we can't argue about that now," Hermione said, getting up and walking out the door briskly. "Come on, we'll have to save Harry somehow... Hm, if I recall correctly, the time turner turned over about twenty five times or less..."

"Where are we going?"

"To the Hogsmeade library."

"Typical Hermione," Ron muttered under his breath, speeding up to catch up with Hermione's brisk walk. "When in doubt, go the library."

Just a short introduction.

So... yeah. 


	2. The First Strike

Even before the explosion, Harry was having a bad day.

As soon as he had seen the broken time turner in his hands, he stuffed it into his pack and jumped onto his Firebolt, flying a good distance away from Sirius, but near enough to keep track of him. His instincts told him it was a bad idea to go to his father's house, but curiosity and desperation got the better of him. He held the handle of his broomstick gingerly in his bleeding hand while the other one held onto the small pack tightly.

They flew for about an hour, and Harry was beginning to think it took forever to get to the Potters when Sirius began a slow descent to a small village.

Harry knew the Potters were well-off, rich even, but he had never known they lived in a manor. The building was huge and it had an even bigger garden surrounding it, complete with a small lake.

Sirius landed with a thud outside the gates for courtesy, and Harry felt a constricting pain in his chest. It had been almost three years since his godfather's death, and it was definitely not enlightening to see him without all the years in Azkaban bearing down on his appearance. He was very good-looking, but anyone could definitely tell he was troubled.

Harry landed on top of a tall tree, cursing at his openly bleeding hand. He watched Sirius pull a gleaming gold chain by the gates and as the huge doors opened. A tall redheaded woman came out, looking quite surprised to see Sirius there.

The grandmother Harry never knew.

He smirked inwardly to himself; his family held a sort of thing for redheads. What with Lily and Ginny...

Harry's smirk changed to a frown rapidly. Ginny. She was growing more and more distant with him, though he couldn't really tell why. He felt as if a large, invisible balloon was placed between them, and it grew larger and larger every time they looked away.

"Sirius?" the woman said, hurrying towards the gates and allowing him in. "My, my, you've grown so much taller! What brings you here, today?"

"Hullo, Mrs. Potter," Sirius said politely. "I, er... well, can I come in first?"

"Of course, of course, come in," Harry's grandmother said briskly.

Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak over him again and dropped from the tree, shrinking his Firebolt and stuffing it into the pack. He hurried to catch up as the pair entered the house.

The interior was very impressive and joyful-looking. There was a big, brick fireplace to one side, surrounded by comfortable chintz chairs and bean bags. The carpet was red lined with gold, reminding Harry of Godric Gryffindor. Pictures of moving people lined the walls...

His grandfather teaching young James how to ride a broomstick... James laughing with Sirius raucuosly... His grandparents, beaming at him, waving...

"Hullo, Mr. Potter," Sirius nodded towards a tall man with the all-too-familiar unruly Potter hair.

"Sirius," Harry's grandfather replied, smiling. "What a pleasant surprise. James, come down here!"

Harry's heart stopped. A boy, who looked almost exactly like him, had just appeared at a doorway, looking rather sleepy. However, his face lit up when he saw his best friend's face, and in the next instant, he had gripped Sirius and clapped him on the back in a manhug.

"Padfoot!" he exclaimed, backing up and almost knocking into Harry. "I thought I wouldn't see you till opening."

"Yeah, well," Sirius said uncomfortably. "I... I sort of ran away from home."

The Potters stared at him, obviously stunned by this shocking bit of news. Sirius looked up at them slowly, lifting his gaze from the carpet. James spoke up.

"Why?"

Sirius shuffled his feet. "I... I couldn't take it. I wasn't like them. They hate me," he said, dropping his gaze again. Then, he looked up and looked into the eyes of Mrs. Potter. "I was thinking... maybe I could stay here? I can't go back."

Mrs. Potter's eyes were glistening with tears. "Of course," she croaked. "Yes, of course you can stay, Sirius. We'll have a room prepared for you. Have you brought your belongings?"

"Yes," Sirius said, beaming. "Thank you. Thank you, so, so much!"

"Anytime, my boy," Mr. Potter said, smiling serenely at the young Sirius Black. "You tell us anything you need. Anything at all."

Sirius beamed, and James grinned at him.

"Come on, let's go fly for a little while," Harry's father said. "It'll take your mind off things. Can we, mum?"

"Yes, that's a good idea, go on," Mrs. Potter said, smiling sweetly. "Be back in before dark, okay? Now, where are your things, Sirius? Soli will take of them."

"Out in the motorcycle," Sirius said, still smiling happily. "Thank you again, so much."

Harry followed his father and godfather out of the house, and smiled sadly as he watched a little house-elf bow to them and went hurrying to retrieve Sirius's belongings. Dobby...

Sirius fetched his broomstick and James took out his own. They kicked off, and Harry felt his heart fill with pride. He had obviously gotten his flying skills from his dad, he was superb, and so was Sirius. They spiraled, dropped, rolled and raced each other around the place.

Harry felt the urge to kick off himself, but he resisted... with great effort. He knew what he was doing was extremely risky, and revealing himself could very much ruin the space time continuum. His stomach gave a feeble lurch as he realized that he had to go back to his time and leave this paradise...

BOOM.

An explosion rattled the ground, and Harry was knocked over sideways. Cursing, he shook himself slightly and got back up. Miraculously, the Invisibility Cloak was still on him. James and Sirius were now on the ground, looking around anxiously.

"Who's there?" James called, and his voice echoed throughout the gardens.

"What was that explosion?" Sirius muttered cautiously.

James shrugged and screwed up his eyes, looking into the distance. "It came from the lake," he said. "Come on!"

The pair started sprinting towards the lake, and Harry followed close behind. When they reached the lake, they looked around warily, holding out their wands.

Harry took out his own wand, but remained under the cloak. He gazed silently through the fog, on high alert and in a ready stance. James and Sirius were in similar positions.

BOOM.

The lake erupted, spewing out water everywhere and dousing the Marauders. They backed up as a figure emerged from it, a figure in a long, billowing black hooded cloak...

"Where is he?" an eerie voice screeched from under the hood.

"W-what...?" James said in a failed attempt at bravery. He was backing up, bringing Sirius with him.

"I know he is here!" the figure bellowed.

James and Sirius looked on in horror, and the figure started to grow impatient. He roared in rage, and yelled, "Avada Kedavra!"

As a green light shot toward them, Harry launched himself forward, knocking both James and Sirius to the ground. He backed up quickly and he felt the spell shoot past him, missing his nose by inches.

"What the-?" Sirius asked, now positively shaking. "What was that?"

James looked at him, giving him a look that plainly said, "How the heck am I supposed to know?"

The cloaked figure roared in rage again and Sirius began pelting recklessly towards it. Thinking quickly, Harry stepped in front of the Marauders and yelled, pointing his wand to the ground, "Diffindo!"

Sirius stopped just in time, but he lost his balance, and almost fell into the 30 foot deep ditch that had appeared there. James caught him by the robes and quickly pulled him back.

"HOOWASSAT?" Sirius demanded, shaken.

"AYDUNNO!" James yelled back, still quite shocked.

Harry stepped forward and bellowed, "Petrificus Totalus!"

The figure was caught off guard, but managed to deflect it at the last second and it hit James, he fell forward stiff as a board. It was Sirius's turn to catch his best friend by the robes and pull him back to safety.

Suddenly, there was a loud sound like a gunshot, and a strong voice called out, "LEAVE! NOW!"

The figure cursed loudly and abruptly turned, and with a second gunshot, it was gone.

Harry and Sirius turned to look at a very grim looking Albus Dumbledore.

-oOo-

"See?" Ron said. "I told you going to the library would be productive."

"Oh yes, Ron," Hermione spat sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "What would I ever do without you?"

"Perish in loneliness and stupidity?" Ron offered, snickering, earning him a very harsh slap to the face. 


	3. When Hazel meets Emerald

"Hello, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black," Dumbledore greeted grimly. He then muttered the counterjinx to free James from the Full Body-Bind Hex.

"Dum-Dubble-Dumbledore?" Sirius stuttered, obviously still quite shaken.

"In the flesh," Dumbledore acknowledged with a small nod.

"What is going on here?" James wheezed, clutching his chest.

"Well," the headmaster of Hogwarts then said, " I have just had contact from the future, giving me rather grim news. And that's not the only thing from the future, might I add."

Sirius and James gave him questioning looks. Sirius's eyebrows were raised, and James's were furrowed. Harry nervously stowed his wand in his pocket. So Dumbledore knew he was here...

"What was that thing that attacked us?" James demanded.

"Alas, I do not know who for sure," Dumbledore sighed. "But I do know that he was an assassin."

"Someone's trying to kill us?" Sirius squeaked.

The old man shook his bearded head. "No, not you," he said. Then he looked straight at Harry, and Harry felt his penetrating gaze... "You may come out, Mr. Potter."

Sirius and James exchanged looks, but Harry's heart was pumping madly against his rib cage. He was going to be punished, he knew it... He shouldn't have come...

"Er, headmaster," James muttered cautiously. "I'm right here. Unless you're talking about my dad... Isn't he in the house? Unless he's under the Invisibility Cloak?"

"He is," Dumbledore stated simply. "But he is not your father. Come out, Harry."

Reluctantly, Harry pulled off the cloak and stood there, refusing to look at anyone, anything, but the grassy, broken ground at his feet. He could feel James's and Sirius's eyes boring into him, gaping at him...

"Oi," Sirius mumbled. "He looks just like you, Prongs..."

James just stared at him. Harry felt disappointment course through him. He was disappointed in himself, he should have gone straight to someone who could help, he shouldn't have come here...

"James Potter," Dumbledore said, with a small smile. "Meet your son."

"Meet your son."

Those three words echoed in James's mind, bouncing off the walls of his brain, not entirely registering. The words seemed to haunt him... It didn't make sense. He was only sixteen... and this boy looked about his age... In fact, the boy looked so much like him, it was scary...

"He's from the future," Dumbledore added, "He accidentally got sent here by a broken Time-Turner."

James continued to gape at the boy. He took in the finer details, and soon, it all added up in his mind.

This boy had the same hair, the same look, the same build... He had a slightly shorter nose... He had round, cheap glasses... He had Lily's eyes. The way he held himself, it was like a combination of Lily and James.

"Prongs?"

And James instantly zoomed back onto the planet Earth, smiling like an idiot at his newfound realization.

"Prongs, are you okay?"

James grinned and said, "Hello, son."

Harry looked up abruptly and his eyes widened a little, as if he couldn't believe his ears, as if he couldn't believe someone was addressing him as "son". James vaguely took note of this. Harry smiled at his father, and looked up at Dumbledore.

"So... does this mean you're sending me back?"

James's heart fell a little bit. He had just met his son... His son, Lily's son... and he was going to be sent back to the future rather abruptly.

"No," Dumbledore said, with the tiniest trace of a smile. "Time travel is a very risky, and you have just traveled a great deal back. Most time travelers only journey back for hours, but in your case, it's about twenty years. Sending you back, first of all, would be incredibly difficult, and doing it right away will tear the delicate fabric of the space time continuum."

James looked at the sky, thinking.

"Can he stay here?" He asked hopefully. "I mean, he is my son, and mum and dad would love to meet him, and..."

Dumbledore smiled. "Of course he can stay here." Then he looked very seriously at Harry. "As long as he does not reveal anything about the future that could ruin your lives. Do you understand me, Harry?"

The joyous look on Harry's face - that appeared when James asked if he could stay - fell a bit. He nodded reluctantly, and pocketed his wand absently.

"But why not?" Sirius demanded. "The future... It's... Wow. C'mon, Professor!"

"Yeah, sir!" James added. He had really wanted to know more about the future. About his future. With Lily. "We... We'll... We won't make it ruin our lives! We promise!"

The headmaster looked thoughtfully at the clouds, then sighed.

"Oh, very well," He said, giving up at the boys' determined looks. They all cracked into huge grins, and he added hastily, "As long as you promise to live life as normally as possible, as though you didn't know anything."

"Yes, sir!" James and Sirius said dutifully, saluting.

Then they turned and grinned at Harry.

"Well, come on in, son!" James said, swinging his arm over Harry's shoulders. "Mum and Dad would love to meet you!"

"Yeah, Prongslet," Sirius said, clapping Harry's back. "This should be bloody well brilliant!"

And with that, the three boys made their way into the manor, leaving the garden in a state of ruin, leaving the headmaster to chuckle amusedly and fix the ditch and lake with a flick of his wand.

Harry had never been happier.

-oOo-

"Mum! Dad!" James called as they entered the house. James and Sirius were still holding their broomsticks, and Harry was still clutching his small pack.

"Yes, James, dear?" Mrs. Potter's voice called from across the living room. "We're here in the kitchen."

James motioned for Harry to stay outside for a while, and the two Marauders entered the kitchen, still soaked from head to toe from their encounter by the lake.

"Goodness, did you just manage to fall into the lake from your brooms?" Mr. Potter chuckled, and with a flick of his wand, the boys dried up.

"Well, funny story, actually," Sirius began, smiling like a mishievous little schoolboy who had a secret.

"What?" Mrs. Potter asked. James drew in as much breath as he could.

"Well, Padfoot and I were flying around, having a good time, when suddenly there was this loud explosion from the lake, like BOOM! And then we landed and tried to find where it came from, and there was another explosion, like BOOM! It knocked us off our feet, and this cloaked figure came out and attacked us, but this invisible dude tackled us to the ground and dueled with him, and it was awesome! Like, BOOM and CRASH and PEW PEW PEW! And then Dumbledore came and the assassin dude Disapparated away and Dumbledore explained to us what happened."

James said that all in one breath, and he was panting when he finished.

"Goodness!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed.

"Well, what DID happen?" Mr. Potter prodded them to go on.

The Marauders grinned and James pulled Harry in. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were in confused shock.

"Mum, Dad," James said. "Meet my son from the future!"

-oOo-

"So did you get the message to younger Dumbledore?" Ron said, closing the dusty old book entitled: "Through the Ages: A Message through Time."

"Yeah," Hermione said, opening his eyes after concentrating. "He said he'll handle everything. No need to worry."

"Ah," Ron said, leaning back on his chair and placing his feet on the table. "See? And once again, the day is saved by one very brilliant Ronald Weasley!"

Hermione glared at him.

"And... alright," Ron said. "With a little help from Hermione Granger. Happy?"

Hermione pushed Ron's seat backward, and with a loud "THUDSMACK", he fell to the floor.

"...Ow." 


	4. Truth

"Meet my son from the future!"

Harry's heart was pounding madly in his rib cage. He was staring face to face with the grandparents he never knew.

"He was sent here by a broken Time Turner," Sirius explained further.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter stared, stunned. And then before Harry knew it, all the air was crushed out of him as his grandparents hugged him tightly. His eyes began to glisten, but he held them back.

"Oh, my dear," Mrs. Potter said, stroking the unruly hair she had grown to love very much. "My grandson."

Mr. Potter was beaming at him. "Well, I don't think I'm old enough to call you grandson just yet," he said, chortling. "What's your name, my boy?"

"Harry," he croaked.

Mrs. Potter finally released him, smiling sweetly at him. She had dark red hair that fell to her elbows, and dark eyes. Mr. Potter on the other hand had hazel eyes just like James.

"Well, Dumbledore said he could stay here for the time being," James said, clapping his hand on Harry's back. "We'll show him around, okay?"

"Okay, son," Mrs. Potter said to him, still smiling. "Harry, dear, do you have any belongings? Oh, of couse not, how were you to know you were going to be sent back in time? Well, you can borrow some of James's things, I daresay he has too many."

"Thank you," Harry said, smiling back at her. Then Sirius and James steered him out of the kitchen and brought him up two levels. The sign on a big door read: "James Potter and Sirius Black. Enter at your own risk."

James, Sirius and Harry entered, and it was the most brilliant room Harry had ever been in. The only problem was that it was too clean and orderly to be anything like Harry's.

"What d'you think?" James asked, gesturing to the room. There were four beds, and Harry guessed it was for whenever the Marauders gathered here. It was shrouded in Gryffindor colors, red and gold. Cabinets and trunks held neatly folded clothes and other belongings. Trinkets and Zonko's products were stacked on the shelves.

"Clean," Harry said, eyebrows raised. "Actually, too clean. Nothing like mine."

James and Sirius laughed.

"Well, Prongslet, if we had our way, this place would be a wreck," Sirius said. "Probably just like yours. You're just like Prongs!"

"It's the house-elves," James explained. "Very orderly little creatures. We have three of them. Soli, Lua and Geo."

Harry smiled. Of course the room would be like this. He imagined what it would be like if the house-elves neglected to clean it, and in his mind, it looked like a hurricane had passed.

"So, Harry, would you like Wormtail's or Moony's bed?" James asked, gesturing to the two empty beds.

Harry remembered with a pang that his father and godfather didn't know about Wormtail, and he probably shouldn't tell them that bit of the future. He strode over to Remus's, which was beside the large window.

"Now, off to business then," Sirius said, wringing his hands. "Hey, Prongslet, who do I marry? And ooh, when did Lily fall in love with James? It's obvious by your eyes. Did Prongs blackmail her into it?"

James hit Sirius upside the head and Harry chuckled as they chucked pillows at each other.

"Well, Sirius," Harry said cautiously. "You don't marry."

Sirius's face fell, and Harry added hastily, "Not that there's shame in that. I mean, men like you have gotta be free!"

Sirius beamed and puffed out his chest, slicking his hair back. "That's right!" he exclaimed. "I don't need a woman! I'm free! You just can't tame guys like me!"

Harry laughed inwardly at how easy it was to be around them.

"And well," Harry continued hesitantly. "You said mum fell in love with dad in seventh year when he deflated his head a bit."

Sirius laughed loudly at this, and James chucked another pillow at him. Inside, though, James was swelling in happiness. Not only at the thought of marrying Lily, but also at being called "dad" by Harry.

"So, Harry," James said. "Tell us about the future."

"What would you like to know?"

"I've just thought of something," Sirius said thoughtfully. "That assassin... was he after you, Prongslet? Why?"

"Yeah..." James said, also looking at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Yeah. Padfoot, I am amazed at how your mind works sometimes, you know that?"

It was now Sirius's turn to chuck a pillow at his best friend.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Er, well, I'm not entirely sure if he was after me."

Hell, who was he kidding? It was bloody well obvious who the assassin was after. It was also bloody well obvious why.

"Well, did he have a reason to come after you?" James inquired.

Harry sighed. There was no more beating around the bush.

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, he did."

"What?" Sirius and James asked in unison. Curiosity was evident in their voices, but concern flashed in their eyes. It was their job to protect Harry, after all.

"Well, it's a really long story," Harry said, hoping they would switch to another subject, but instead, the boys looked even more eager. He pushed his hair out of his face, revealing his scar.

"Blimey," James breathed.

"That was made by very powerful Dark magic," Sirius said, gaping. "I know Dark magic when I see it. It's all over Grimmauld, after all. So... what exactly... who... How did you survive?"

"I'm the only person to have survived all three Unforgivable Curses," Harry whispered, staring at the clouds outside.

"All three?" Sirius gasped.

"No," James said. "No way. Avada Kedavra is called the KILLING Curse for a reason."

Harry sighed. "I was a year old. Voldemort" - James and Sirius winced slightly - "was growing more and more powerful, and then... there was this prophecy. A prophecy that said that I would be the only one with the power to defeat him. He, naturally, wanted to kill me, before I was trained. So he went after us.

"He... He came on the night of Halloween. Dad, you held him off... I can still hear you, screaming desperately for mum to take me and leave... You... Once he was finished with y-you, he went after me and mum. She sacrificed herself to save me, her protection runs in my veins... In that way, Voldemort couldn't kill me. And well, sixteen years later, the war started. And, well... I... Voldemort's gone."

Harry had intentionally left out the finer details. He didn't want them to fuss. He was so tempted to tell them everything... But he held his words back. He had to. Even though he might have grown up with parents, supporting him, watching him play Quidditch proudly...

He could have been normal.

James looked at Harry, determined not to show fear, although the concern was evident in his shaky voice.

"W-we only had you for a year?"

Harry nodded, and saw that James's eyes were misty. He became vaguely aware that his eyes were wet, too, but he refused to give the tears freedom. He held them back fiercely, but James wasn't as forceful. A single tear streaked down his father's face.

"Blimey," Sirius muttered. "Th-that'll be hard to do, eh, Prongs? Live like we didn't know this was going to happen... It's unthinkable..."

James put on a brave, determined face. "Well, we've got to, Padfoot," James muttered fiercely. "Otherwise, the future could change drastically and alter everything... From bad to worse."

Sirius nodded, but pouted like a stubborn little schoolboy.

"Oh, dad," Harry said, remembering something. "You can't tell mum, alright?"

"Well, why not?" James asked, and Harry snorted.

"What, are you trying to prevent my birth?"

Sirius howled in laughter, and a very red James chucked pillows at them both. The boys stayed up late into the night, talking about girls, Quidditch, pranks and other stuff.

And it was all burned into the back of Harry's mind. For once, he had someone to call "dad."

-oOo-

"WAKE UP, PRONGSLET!"

Sirius was prodding the lump under Harry's blanket, yelling at it to wake up. But Harry had woken hours earlier, he was already dressed and ready for the day. He chuckled as he entered the room, and watched amusedly as Sirius jumped up and down on his bed, trying to wake his pillow. He strode over and stood right behind Sirius.

"Problem?" Harry said calmly, and Sirius fell off the bed with a THUD.

James chortled, watching the scene before him. Harry was towering over the heap on the floor known as Sirius Orion Black. (SOB?) Harry smirked at the poor fellow, and afforementioned poor fellow chucked a pillow at him. Harry, with the unerring skill of a Seeker, caught it in his right hand.

Sirius stood up and playfully punched Harry's shoulder.

"Pretty good with your hands, there, Prongslet," James said. The nickname was starting to grow on him. "What position do you play? I mean, being a son of mine, it isn't possible for you not to be a brilliant Quidditch player. I was one, myself!"

"Too true," Sirius muttered sarcastically. "There wasn't a single day that Prongs didn't show off his SUPERB skills, and the girls just ENGULFED themselves in all the Quidditch Macho-ness that is James."

Harry found himself laughing. "I play Seeker," he answered. And he, feeling a bit cocky, added, "In first year, I was the youngest Seeker in a CENTURY."

Sirius gave a low whistle and James muttered, "Impressive. Well, Prongslet, why don't you show us your skills today? It'll be the first time your dad'll see you play!"

Harry nodded. Just three of them up in the field, without the flurry of a real match? It sounded easy.

And he was correct in thinking that it seemed TOO easy.

-oOo- 


	5. The Storm

The three boys trudged up the muddy hill outside the Potter's manor, lugging their broomsticks on their shoulders. None of them were too ecstatic about flying over the grass where the chaos happened yesterday.

They stopped at the very top of the hill, and James looked up to the sky. Great storm clouds covered the sky completely, and every now and then lightning illuminated the darkness. Rain poured down heavily onto the grounds, making it very hard to spot a Golden Snitch.

"Perfect," he breathed.

He turned to Harry. He expected his son to be fidgeting nervously, or to be even just slightly shocked at the thought of flying in these conditions... But instead, Harry was smiling serenely at the sky, which kind of creeped James out.

His son had been through a lot more than he had, and he hadn't even been there to see him...

"Are you planning on murdering him, Prongs?" Sirius asked incredulously. He was holding his broom in his left hand, and he clutched a struggling Golden Snitch in his right.

"I've been under worse conditions," Harry said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "So, you release the Snitch, and I get it. That all?"

James smiled. His son wanted a challenge... He was so much like James in many ways.

"Not quite," he said. "We release the Snitch, and you TRY to get it, while Sirius and I try to prevent you from catching it."

Sirius's jaw dropped tremendously. "What? James, I can't even see an inch in front of me!"

But the young Potters were smirking at each other, and Harry said firmly, "You're on."

James turned to Sirius. "When I say go," he said, "Release the Snitch. We'll give it a ten second headstart before we kick-off." He turned back to Harry. His son had determination all over his face. "You ready?"

"Yeah."

The three boys gathered at the top of the hill, and James said, "Go." The Snitch hovered before them, and then zoomed upward and into the darkness.

James suddenly got a queasy feeling in his stomach. What was he thinking? He was endangering Harry's life. Would he really risk his very own son's life?

"You sure about this, James?" Sirius asked uncertainly.

James looked at his son again. Harry's green eyes... Lily's eyes... were burning with determination. Harry nodded, still smirking.

"Let's do this."

And with that, the boys kicked off from the ground, zooming high into the dark, cold air.

Harry felt exhilirated. He was soaked to the skin, and he was zooming high into the sky much faster than the other two, thanks to his exemplary broomstick. He did a few loop-de-loops and rolls to release the tension that was bottled inside of him. It felt so good to be up there again.

He squinted around for a sign of the Snitch, but it was so dark that he could barely see a yard in front of him. Enormous raindrops were pounding heavily on his body, and it was just so invigorating.

The wind howled and threatened to knock him over the side of his broom, but he kept a firm grip on the Firebolt's handle. There was no sign of James or Sirius anywhere, until...

ZOOM.

"Nice one, Prongslet!"

Sirius had just zipped by, and Harry swerved at the right second. Sirius missed him by centimeters. Now, he was once again camouflaged in the pitch black setting around him.

Lightning flashed suddenly, and Harry caught a glimpse of it in the split second of illumination - a glint of gold. Estimating which direction and how far the Snitch had gone since the flash, he leaned forward on his broom, giving the broom a burst of speed.

James and Sirius had seen that Harry was speeding off, and they leaned forward, too, egging their brooms on furiously. They zoomed straight at Harry, who was a reddish blur. They were going to block him for sure...

CRASH.

The Marauders held themselves steady before they fell off their brooms. They had crashed smack into each other, and Harry was now way in front of them, laughing.

"Padfoot," James muttered in a daze, "How did he do that? I swear, we were seconds from blocking him when we crashed suddenly."

"He spinned upside down on his broom," Sirius replied shaking his wet hair out of his face. "It was brilliant. We passed above him, like a centimeter away and when we crashed, he was right side up again."

James smirked. Harry was definitely his son.

Harry allowed himself a glance back at his father and godfather before speeding off to the Snitch. He almost fell off in pure laughter, seeing their stunned faces.

Harry had slipped off his broom a second from impact, holding on so he was sitting upside down on the Firebolt. He tucked his knees in so he wouldn't accidentally kick the others. It was a weird feeling, seeing James and Sirius crash against the dark sky, upside down. He felt as if his brain would slide out the top of his head, but it was over a split second later. He had righted himself and went off fast.

Now, back to business. He was speeding off for the Snitch, reaching for it, just a little more...

"Avada Kedavra."

Harry had pulled his hand back just in time. The green spell crossed his path, very nearly searing him. He caught the Snitch and was grasping it tightly in his hand... but were the Marauders aiming spells at him now?

He mentally shook himself. Of course they weren't aiming spells at him. They didn't bring their wands with them. James and Sirius would never aim the Killing Curse at him.

"Okay, you were awesome," James said, flying towards him calmly.

"Brilliant, Prongslet!" Sirius exclaimed, patting him on the back.

So... they didn't even see the attack. Harry had to get them to safety quickly, or they'd be killed, and that could do some serious bad alteration to the space time continuum.

"Er, thanks," Harry said hastily. "Let's get back down to land, shall we?"

"Why?" Sirius asked, grinning. "We're already soaked head to foot. Why not fly around for a while?"

"Yeah," James agreed, nodding. "Why not?"

"Because..." Harry stammered. He looked around for an answer, and he saw them in the distance. A pair of malicious eyes, glowing red in the dark. His scar seared.

The Voldemort of this year was staring up at him, and then turned on his heel and disappeared.

It didn't make sense at all. If this Voldemort knew he was here, and what the future holds for them... then he should've hit Sirius or James, because it would greatly affect Harry's time. If he killed Harry on the other hand, he would still be defeated by Harry in the future, Harry went back in time after the defeat after all.

...Unless Voldemort didn't know who Harry was...

"Earth to Prongslet!"

Harry was snapped back into the present - er, past, in his case - by a very annoying Padfoot. He was poking Harry on the shoulder consistently, even though he was now glaring at Sirius.

"Alright there, Harry?" James asked, the concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, fine," Harry muttered, swatting Sirius's hand away. "Just... just thought I saw something. It's nothing, really."

"Okay..." James said, though he was only partly convinced. "Well, then, shall we go back to flying?"

"Race you?" Sirius challenged, revving up his broomstick. (Can you rev up a broomstick? I mean, that would be so awesome, with all the VRRRRROOOOMMM sounds.)

"You wouldn't stand a chance," James and Harry said at the same time, though in different manners. James said it like a taunt, but Harry said it in more of a "my-broomstick-is-from-the-future-and-it's-the-fastest-one-of-its-time-so-naturally-you'll-lose" kind of way.

"We'll see," Sirius answered them both.

They mapped out their course, around the forest, through this dark cave somewhere to their right, over the hills and back to the Potter manor. They lined up above the grassy hills and got ready.

"On the count of three, guys," James announced.

All three hearts were pounding, but for all the different reasons. Sirius's was pumping from the exhiliration of racing, especially with two other superb flyers. James's was pumping at the thought of racing his own son. He'd be really proud if Harry beat him, but he'd be fine with winning too. Harry's heart was pounding at the aftermath of seeing Voldemort; his scar prickled with every beat.

"One."

Sirius bounced up and down excitedly on his broomstick.

"Two."

James gave a cocky smirk to both his opponents.

"Three."

Harry mentally shook himself and revved up.

"Go!"

The two Marauders shot forward, streaming right past Harry. The Boy Who Lived smirked. He gave them a few seconds headstart and went pelting after them, catching up to them about three seconds later.

Suddenly, they were engulfed in a forest with trees so tall that they couldn't see the canopy. They swerved around the gigantic trees and lost each other in the stormy flurry.

Harry stayed low in the forests, trying to find Voldemort, just in case he was still there. If anybody was supposed to die, it would be him. He would not allow Voldemort to touch his father and godfather.

He weaved in and out of the tree's paths, dodging branches and tall boulders. Nothing seemed to be stirring in the forest... he was about to fly higher when it happened...

Everything went mute around him. The forest was in a bright white glow, then it settled into an orange glow.

Then something turned the sound back on in his head. A scream rang out from above him. It was a scream of fear, of sheer terror. Harry's heart stopped.

"PRONGS!" 


	6. Narrow Escape

James flew level with the treetops, and Sirius flew about three meters under him. Harry flew low over the boulders, though neither Marauder could fathom why.

"You'll never beat me, Prongs!" Sirius yelled to the sky.

"I think you've got it the other way around, Padfoot!" James yelled back down at him.

They raced each other a little more, then Sirius thought maybe he should fly up a bit. He flew up, level with James now, who took it as a challenge and flew up even higher, and then...

It happened in slow motion. Lightning flashed right in front of them, causing the tall tree beside James to erupt in flame. James was thrown off his broom from the impact, and his limp form began to fall from the sky...

"PRONGS!" Sirius shouted loudly, his voice constricted in fear.

He dove in a vain attempt to catch his best friend, but before he could reach him, James was swept from view. His heart was pounding madly in his chest, searching frantically for any sign of movement.

"Get out!" a voice yelled from behind him, and Sirius almost jumped off his broom. He caught himself and swerved to look at who it was...

Harry was gesturing furiously at him to get going. His father, James, was sitting limply on the broom behind him, conscious, but barely. He had blood running down his face, but he was smiling weakly at Sirius.

"M'fine," he muttered, almost crushing the air out of Harry. "Son saved me."

They flew off away from the roaring fire, which, despite the rain, was steadily growing bigger. Then they realized what the problem was... the rain had stopped. What awful timing.

"Prongslet," Sirius panted, trying to keep up with Harry. "You have GOT to stop sneaking up on me."

"Sorry," Harry yelled over his shoulder.

The fire was raging now, and there was an almost solid wall of fire blocking them from behind.

"Sirius," Harry yelled, "Lead! I don't know my way around this area!"

"You're going too fast!" Sirius yelled back frustratedly.

"Me'll lead," James muttered, but he almost fell off again and decided to stay behind Harry.

Harry squinted into the distance, and he saw it... A huge tunnel up ahead. Hermione had always told him to weigh the pros and cons of everything first. He quickly processed the possible results in his head, and he came up with these choices: a) Keep flying, get lost, get burnt. b) Go in tunnel, either find way out or get lost, or get trapped by fire.

Ah, screw pros and cons.

"Into the tunnel!" He yelled.

He dove and felt James slipping off dangerously. He grasped the Firebolt in his right hand and clutched his father's arm in his left, tightly holding onto him. A sharp rock jabbed deeply into his left elbow, tearing his cloak and dragging a long bloody line into the skin.

"Hold on, dad!"

Something about the desperation in his son's voice sparked a determination in James. He locked his arms around Harry and willed himself to hold on and not let go.

Sirius was trying as hard as he could to catch up. Harry's broom was impeccable, it flew rapidly and fluidly. He watched James and Harry dive towards the ground and almost dropped his broom when the Potters nearly crashed into the ground. Harry pulled up at the last second, and they zoomed into the cave easily.

Sirius went for a safer descent, and sped up to catch up up with them when he was inside. It was very dark in the cave, but it wasn't that different from the darkness outside. He blinked a few times, and his vision grew accustomed to the lack of light.

"Follow my voice!" Harry's voice echoed from somewhere to Sirius's right. He swerved and followed the sounds into a smaller, narrower path in the cave.

"Sirius, you there?" Harry yelled.

"Present!" the other boy screamed like an overeager schoolboy. "How's James?"

"M'okay!" James yelled in a muffled voice, for his face was pressed against Harry's shoulder. He was trying to keep awake, and remembering that Harry was here for him when he wasn't there for Harry helped him big time.

The boys suddenly broke out into daylight. They stopped and landed with a squelch on the muddy hills. Harry and James landed on the ground first, and Harry swung his father's arm over his shoulders, supporting him.

Sirius landed next, and he scurried over to them, helping Harry in holding James up. They helped James over to a drier spot on the hill and let him sit down. They knelt beside him, trying to heal him with minor healing spells.

"Lightning," James muttered. "Don't like lightning."

Harry stood up and examined the damage they left behind them. The once beautiful forest was now in chaos. The lush green trees were dying, and little woodland creatures were scurrying out into the fields. Harry wondered how many of them would become orphans, just like he did...

"Thanks, Harry."

Harry turned. James was smiling at him, looking slightly shaken, but otherwise okay.

"You saved my life out there."

Harry smirked a bit. "Well, since you died to save me, I guess we're even."

James chuckled, and tousled his raven hair. He stood up gingerly, and then joined Harry to check the remains of the forest.

"Awful, isn't it?" Sirius said, standing beside James. "All that fire... All those trees... Those homes... Those lives... Storms are kind of like You-Know-Who, huh?"

James nodded grimly, and his son tilted his head. Harry had never thought of it that way. Destruction and death... Storms and Voldemort were the same in that way. But storms had advantages too. He had heard from Hermione that lightning could heal the dilapidating Ozone layer. Rain, of course, had its obvious benefits.

But Voldemort?

No, Harry thought. There is nothing we can gain from Voldemort. There's no good side to him.

Harry, James and Sirius walked slowly back to the Potter Manor. Today's events were still spinning in Harry's mind, and they haven't even had lunch yet.

First and foremost, why was Voldemort here? Did he know who Harry really was? Why had he attacked Harry?

"Harry?" James's tentative voice broke his train of thought. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Harry said, rubbing his left elbow absently. "Yeah, just a little... shaken up, that's all."

"Don't blame you, mate," Sirius said, looking over at Harry. "Hey Prongslet, what's that on your elbow?"

"Nothing," Harry murmured, but he cursed under his breath as he pain shot through his arm. Sirius had grabbed the bleeding arm and was prodding it with his wand.

"This isn't a normal wound," Sirius frowned, still prodding the flesh and muttering healing spells.

Harry wrenched the arm away and started to wipe the blood away with his black cloak. The cloak was shrouded in shiny red stains anyway. James walked over to him and examined the cut.

"Er... Is it supposed to be turning green?"

Harry's head snapped down to check the cut. Indeed, its raw red color had a greenish tinge to it, and the green was starting to become more pronounced against the red.

"Whoa, Harry," Sirius said, looking at the cut in unease. He tried to keep cool and not be nervous, but when he called Harry by his name instead of "Prongslet," he blew his cover. "We should get that to St. Mungo's. It looks really... gross."

"Yeah," James agreed as they sped up to the manor appearing just over the hills. "C'mon, mum and dad should get us there in time. And Harry... You're being unusually quiet. It's kind of creepy."

Harry snapped out of his reverie at being addressed directly. He was thinking of what could have cut him like that. Perhaps a magical plant, like the one he found at Professor Sprout's classes. What was it called again? Er... torn toadfleece? No... Thorned Throatflax! That's it...

"Harry?"

"Huh?" he mumbled stupidly. "Oh, er, yeah. Mungo's. Yeah. Why not?"

James and Sirius shared a look. Then, cautiously, as if he was talking to a rambunctious toddler, the latter said, "Er, Prongslet, we should really get you out of the sun or something."

"What are you going on about?" Harry said, looking up at the sky. "There's no sun. Those dark clouds are still covering the sky."

Sirius shrugged. "Yeah, well." Inside, he was afraid that the wound had somehow addled Harry's brain...

They finally reached the house, and James hurried inside calling for his parents. Sirius helped Harry onto a dark maroon chair and watched the moss green cut turn olive green.

"That's foul," he muttered under his breath.

A few seconds later, James arrived with his parents following nervously. Together, the three teen boys explained what had happened, randomly interrupting each other and going on.

"Oh boys," Mrs. Potter sobbed. "My boys!"

Mr. Potter knelt down next to Harry and examined the cut, which was now a vivid acid green. He waved his wand and muttered a few healing spells, but nothing seemed to work.

"That's odd," he murmured. "Alright, I'll get the boys to St. Mungo's, okay?"

Mrs. Potter nodded. "I'll stay back and prepare dinner for when you all come back."

Mr. Potter looked at all of the boys and asked them, "Do you all know how to Apparate?"

Sirius and James shook their heads, but Harry said "yes." He had learned how to do it back in his sixth year, and he vaguely wondered why James and Sirius - who were about to start seventh year - did not know how yet.

"Very well," James's father said. "Sirius, James, hold onto my right hand. I'll carry you along with Side-Along Apparation. Harry, d'you think you can get to the reception room?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed quietly.

"On three, James and Sirius. One. Two. Three."

Harry watched as the men turned on the spot and disappeared. He breathed in deeply and checked his scar. It was throbbing painfully. Bracing himself for the familiar feeling of being sucked through a dark straw, he turned on the spot.

But the feeling did not come. Instead, he felt icy spikes pierce into his skin, creating a very painful, uncomfortable experience. When the feeling disappeared and he opened his eyes, he was in the reception area of St. Mungo's.

"Whoa," he breathed.

A lot of odd things happened today... It was almost too much for Harry to take. But of course, Harry had been through much more than this. He was trained to be ready for days like this.

And he found himself wondering... Is that a gift or curse? To be prepared for things like this... On one hand, it was pretty cool. On the other, things like these came with bad events.

"Harry! Over here!"

Sighing, he strode over to the others, and was barely listening when they gave the healer his "name"... "Harvey Parker."

-oOo-

The next chapters will be about the different thoughts of the guys. Short, but full of depth.

By the way, anyone know anything about the Apparation thing? Why it affected Harry like that? :D 


	7. Harry's Woes

"Harvey Parker?"

"Over here."

"Well, let's see what we have here... Ooh, a nasty little cut, isn't it? Well, follow me, Harvey. We'll have that all fixed up in no time. But... well, we'll see what made it soon."

Harry followed the kindly looking healer to a dingy gray room with no other occupant.

The healer told him to sit down and wait for Django. Harry sat down on a lumpy cot and began to count the tiles on the floor. He was about to count the eighty-seventh when a tall young man with caramel hair appeared at the doorway.

"Mr. Parker?" he asked, checking his clipboard. Harry nodded.

"Well, Mr. Parker, let's see what you've got there," Django said, approaching Harry and conjuring an armboard with his wand. "Hold out your arm. Yes, I see. Looks like a hex mark to me."

Harry wasn't really paying attention. He felt numb inside, still suffering from the aftershock of today's events. He was vaguely aware of Django lecturing him about dangerous hexes, but he already had his fair share of that.

Django stood up and walked to a glass shelf by the walls. He picked up a small jar that held a thick orange liquid. He strode back to Harry and applied the contents to his green cut.

It felt like hot paste that burned right through the skin. It set Harry's insides on fire, he didn't like this orange paste. But as he was fidgeting, the greenish tinge of the cut began to ease, though it looked kind of yellowish. Then, Django poured some sapphire blue liquids over the paste, and the burning immediately ceased and the paste disappeared. What remained was a long yellow cut.

"Funny," Django said, frowning. He didn't look like he really found it funny or amusing. "That should've healed it up completely. Well, Harvey, maybe you should stay over the night. I'll inform your friends."

Django eggressed and left Harry there, deeply engulfed in his thoughts. He could hear the voices outside...

"May we visit him?"

"Not right now, maybe the potions will take effect soon. I'd give it about an hour or two, and you may enter."

Great. A whole hour. Harry had a whole hour to himself, to lose his mind, to lose himself completely in his thoughts. Now he understood what people meant when they said that going back in time messes with your brain.

He stood up and stretched his legs, pacing around the small room. Forward, back, turn, forward, back, turn. He never really understood the art of pacing, but somehow, it did help.

He wondered what James and Sirius were feeling right now. They were probably shocked out of their minds. Maybe they were mad at Harry, for causing this kind of ruckus.

Oh, bloody hell no.

He couldn't have his father and godfather mad at him! He had to find a way to make it up to them. Harry's steps grew faster and shorter as his thoughts wandered around.

Maybe he should stay with Dumbledore for the rest of his stay, as far from the Potters and Sirius as possible. He couldn't bring himself to cause them any more trouble. He had to leave them.

But then again, they were happy to have him here...

They were, weren't they?

Harry's thoughts were getting muddled and mixed up. Did he really know what James and Sirius were feeling? What if they hated him? What if this was all a show?

No, Harry thought. No, it wasn't all a show. He felt it in his veins. They loved him. There were certain moments when Harry felt that strong love crashing down on him.

When he was diving for the cave on his Firebolt and felt his father slipping off, he had yelled desperately for James to hold on. James immediately tightened his grip and held on, knowing Harry was his son... knowing how he couldn't die now...

They definitely didn't hate him. There was no way.

He sat down and buried his head in his hands, massaging his temples vigorously. He wanted to stay, but he couldn't endanger their lives like that. After all, if they died, he probably wouldn't even be born.

So, what to choose? Stay and endanger their lives, or suffer far away and alone?

Before he could make his choice, the doorknob clicked and in came Sirius and James.

They looked like they had aged years in a day's time. They were tired, worn out and very stressed. Messed up hair (though for James, it didn't really make a difference), dark circles under the eyes, looking very weak...

Harry never wanted to see them like that.

-oOo-

Short look into Harry's thoughts ;D 


	8. Like, Siriusly?

Sirius had been through a lot. No one can deny that.

He'd been hexed, cursed, screamed at, thrown out of his own house, and so much more. He thought his life was hard. He thought that he was the unluckiest guy in the world.

All that changed today, though.

He watched James pace up and down the hallway outside the dingy room, counting his steps. James was almost on his two hundredth step, when he suddenly changed his mind and plopped down on the sofa, his head in his hands.

"Problem?" Sirius asked, poking his best friend on the shoulder.

As a response, James glared at him threateningly.

"Sorry," Sirius said, raising his hands in surrender. "But cool down James, it's not like your son's dying. It's just a little... green... gross... cut."

For a moment, Sirius thought James was going to punch him. But then a defeated look settled on James's face. It didn't suit James; it just wasn't right. James was a winner. A champion.

"I know," the young boy sighed. "It's just that... I can't live like this, knowing my son's in danger all the time, and I won't even be around to help him. Did you hear what that dude Dingo said? It was a HEX MARK. Someone attacked him."

"Django, not Dingo," Sirius replied, reading the label on the wall beside the dull door. "Have you ever heard a name like this? Django. It's awes- I mean, er, it isn't our problem right now."

This time Sirius was sure James was going to hit him, but he raised his arms to shield his face. No blow came, though, for James had simply groaned and started pacing once again.

"There's gotta be something... anything I can do about this..." he muttered.

"Whoa, there, Prongs," Sirius said, pushing his best friend back down on the chair. "We promised Dumbledore we wouldn't let the future get to us. We could go insane. Or change the future."

"That's what I'm trying to do!" James exclaimed. "Change it! I don't want my son to end up like this!"

Sirius stayed quiet. Firsthand experience gave him the knowledge that if you keep prodding a thing that could engage in spontaneous combustion, it WILL explode. So he kept his mouth shut and watched as James entered the Men's Room, slamming the door behind him.

He stared at the opposite wall, allowing his thoughts to spin wildly around in his head. Raw memories, suspicions, doubts... All of it flashed past Sirius's eyes as his mind went hyperspeed.

"Don't you dare walk through these doors again!"

"James Potter, meet your son."

"We only had you for a year?"

"I'm the only person to have survived all three Unforgivable Curses."

"PRONGS!"

He understood how James felt. He felt the same way. He felt the strange, unpleasant emotion stir him inside. He wanted to do something. He couldn't. He REALLY wanted to do something. He REALLY couldn't.

Sirius felt completely and utterly helpless.

Harry Potter. A name that will forever be known in wizard kind. He was probably on a Chocolate Frog card. Everyone would look at him and say, "I wish I was like him."

But none of them knew the pain he went through. The sufferings, the losses, the struggles... He was a good boy. He tried to put others before him. But even when he smiled, you could see the echoes of his past in his green eyes.

Sadness, torture, stress... Death.

Sirius wondered how he had survived it all. All that pressure would've broken him, shattered him like a fragile piece of glass. And yet... he knew that Harry HAD been shattered. But somehow, in some way... The poor boy held the broken pieces together. He had to. For the sake of the world.

And Sirius wondered when Harry wouldn't be able to hold it together anymore. When would he let go, and let the pieces crash to the floor? When would he finally have had enough?

The Men's Room opened, and out came a very tired looking James. He nodded at Sirius, and he stood up. They walked through the doors together, ready for anything...

But unfortunately, they were slipping through the seams. They had to keep it together, like Harry did. He'd been through much more than the both of the Marauders put together. And he managed. Why can't they?

They had to hold it, like Harry. For Harry.

-oOo-

Ooooooh, I like the depth of this one. :D 


	9. James, oh James

James was pacing frustratedly along the dull corridors, his mind working overdrive. He felt like, sooner or later, his brain would suddenly explode in spontaneous combustion.

Somebody had attacked Harry. His son. Lily's son. THEIR son. And Harry seemed too calm about this... as if to say, "Hey dad, don't worry about it, okay? Yeah, assassins come after me ALL the time. I can handle it, no problemo. I'm used to people trying to do me in."

Not very comforting thoughts for a father.

He sat down on the bench beside Sirius and buried his face in his hands, massaging his temples. All the stress and pressure was coming down on him, showing him the reality of his future. And he did NOT like what he saw.

"Problem?" Sirius asked, poking James on the shoulder annoyingly.

Irked, the young Potter shot him an icy glare. Problem? Oh, no, not at all, Padfoot. I just met my son from the future, he's constantly being attacked by powerful Dark wizards, you know? How cool is that?

"Sorry," Sirius said, raising his arms in surrender. "But cool down, James, it's not like your son's dying. It's just a little... green... gross...cut."

James was very tempted to whack his best friend's head, but he sighed and said, "I know. It's just that... I can't live like this, knowing my son's in danger all the time, and I won't even be around to help him. Did you hear what that dude Dingo said? It was a HEX MARK. Someone attacked him."

"Django, not Dingo," Sirius corrected, starting to get on James's nerves. "Have you ever heard a name like this? Django. It's awes- I mean, er, it isn't our problem right now."

James gave Sirius another one of his dagger glares, and Sirus shielded his face from harm. James could just hear his best friend cowering in his mind... Not the face! Anything but the face!

James shot back up and paced again. He was muttering to himself, like he did when he was scheming a brilliant prank. But this was much more than scheming. This was a lot... denser.

"Whoa, there, Prongs," Sirius said, pushing James back down on the chair. "We promised Dumbledore we wouldn't let the future get to us. We could go insane. Or change the future."

Fury boiled inside James. Didn't anyone get it? Sirius, not even his best friend!

"That's what I'm trying to do!" he exclaimed. "Change it! I don't want my son to end up like this!"

Sirius didn't answer, which seemed to irritate James even more than when Sirius talked. He strode over to the Men's Room, and shut it with a lot of furious force.

He spun around and was shocked to see someone in the room with him. This man had dark hair that looked like it had lost all its luster, deep eye bags that wove around his glasses, a tired and gloomy appearance, messy and disheveled clothes, and hazel eyes that had no shine. Instead, they were shrouded in stress.

This man was James's reflection.

He reached for the mirror, brushing it with his fingers. It was cold and hard. The exact same way James felt inside. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

If you'd asked James a few days ago about how he would feel about meeting his son from the future, his answer would've been something like, "That'd be awesome!"

But now, he knew how very naive and oblivious he was.

He turned on the tap and washed his grimy face. He patted his skin dry and looked at the mirror once again. His skin looked slightly better, with more life in them. Nothing could change the look in his cold, lifeless eyes, though. Maybe if he could just fix life magically... Flick his wand and say, "Reparo," and all of it would mend...

He wondered how Harry kept it all together. He looked like such a composed young man... But James knew. He knew what Harry felt inside. Torn, raw and shattered.

James mentally shook himself. He couldn't allow himself to break down. His son needed him. It was the least he could do for Harry, seeing as he died when the young boy was a year old.

He had to be strong. He didn't know how Harry did it, but he needed to do it too. He needed to show the world - to show Harry - that he was capable of holding it together.

He had to.

He needed to.

He didn't know how to.

He gave the mirror another quick glance. His eyes were somehow a little better... full of burning determination. Taking a deep breath, he marched out into the corridor and nodded to Sirius, going towards the door.

He opened the door and looked at Harry. Green eyes met hazel.

James could read everything in his son's eyes... The pain. The stress. The confusion. The indecision. He wanted to tell him that everything was going to be alright, but the words wouldn't come. He knew that nothing was alright. At least, not yet.

-oOo-


	10. The Cackle

"Hey," Harry muttered awkwardly as James and Sirius settled onto the cot across from him.

"Hey," the two replied monotonously. Everyone was still very much shaken and confused. Sirius was staring at something apparently incredibly interesting on the twentieth tile Harry counted, and James was repeatedly shifting his weight on the cot, running a hand through his hair. Harry nervously took off his glasses, wiped them clean with "Scourgify" and placed them back on.

"I'm sorry," the boy muttered suddenly. The other two looked perplexed.

"Why?" Sirius inquired.

"Er, for this," Harry said louder, gesturing vaguely at the air. "This is all my fault. I'm not sure what happened out there, but now you two could be in danger just because of me. I should just leave..."

James shook his head disbelievingly and placed a comforting hand on his son's, a gesture that Harry was not used to. The Boy Who Lived looked sadly at the hands, then up at his father.

"I don't care," James said sincerely, tightening his grip on Harry's hand a bit. "That wasn't your fault, and I'm just happy you're okay. I don't want you to be in danger Harry, it's my job to protect you."

"And mine," Sirius piped up, smiling slightly. "We would have gladly died for you, Harr-bear." He mockingly tousled his godson's hair, and chuckled when Harry swatted the hand away.

"My hair's horrible enough, thanks," Harry sniggered.

"Hey!" James stated indignantly. "That's Potter hair, Harry, be proud!" He smiled thoughtfully before adding, "And it's true, son, Sirius and I would have given up our lives for you."

Harry tried (and failed dismally) to ignore the lump in his throat and the tears in his eyes. He compromised by staring at the tile like Sirius and acting as if he had a coughing fit.

"You do know that if you die," Harry mumbled casually, "I won't even exist, right?"

James's brows furrowed at first, then reached his hairline when the message had sunk in. "Oh, yeah..."

Sirius, on the other hand, took a bit longer to process that bit of information.

"What d'you mean?" he demanded. "It's not like we're - I don't know, linked or something... And... Ohhh... Right... Blimey, Harry I forgot you're from the future. Sorry."

Harry smiled warmly.

"Still, I'm your father, and I forbid you to ever think about leaving us!" James ordered, flushing a bit. "That is an order, son."

The son in question snorted. "Dad, you're barely seventeen. I'm almost a year older," he said, smirking. "I don't think you can give me the orders."

"...Touche."

Harry quietly debated with himself as James and Sirius exploded simultaneously about Harry's flying skills. He didn't pay much attention, though he heard something about "rolling elephants" and "swimming swine." He nodded and said thanks whenever there was a pause when the boys caught their breath, but otherwise kept silent.

Should he tell them about that strange encounter with Voldemort? If he did, they would panic and fuss over Harry's safety. If he didn't, they wouldn't be on alert. But should he really worry them like that?

"And then you went ZOOM past me, like a hopping daffodil-"

"-That upside down turn you made was like a crying banana peel-"

"-Guys," Harry mumbled, cutting his father off in the midst of another weird simile. "There's something I have to tell you."

James and Sirius immediately shut up, looking curiously at the time traveler. They nodded for him to go on, with big happy smiles on their faces. It was quite a contrast to their earlier awful moods, and Harry found himself unable to break their joy.

"Well, go on," Sirius said after a minute of silence.

Harry's heart beat just a little bit faster. This decision could save their lives - for now, that is, before his first birthday...

"...You guys are awesome," Harry mumbled, and his heart sank a bit. He wanted to tell them, but they were still so carefree and happy. If he told them... Their lives could change drastically.

"We know, kiddo," Sirius said with a smirk, swinging his arm over his best mate's shoulder. "We know."

"You're pretty awesome, too, Harr-bear," James chuckled, tousling Harry's hair again. "Don't ever forget that."

They spent the little time they had left by chucking transfigured pillows at each other. Harry was the best dodger, because of his speedy build. Sirius liked to swat the objects away, like a true Beater. James caught the objects whenever he could, showing off his Chaser skills.

By the time Django walked in again, Sirius's face was covered in pie, James had egg yolk in his hair and Harry's glasses were covered in flour. The three boys were laughing raucously, and the room was in ruins. Django smiled at their antics and fixed everything with a wave of his wand. Bidding goodbye to each other, James and Sirius left for home.

"Let me see that cut again, Mr. Parker," Django instructed.

The cut was now just a regular cut, though a little too raw for its own good. Django frowned at it, then made a quick note on his parchment. He prodded it with his wand a couple of times, but nothing happened.

"I would very much like to find out who hexed you, Mr. Parker," the healer said, still examining the cut.

"You and me both," Harry said with a small sheepish smile. He was getting much better at lying, though he wasn't sure what to think of that. On one hand, it could save his life. On the other, it was still lying.

"Well, make yourself at home," Django said, heading for the door. "You should be healed enough to leave tomorrow, but I want to check on that cut one last time. Good night, Harvey."

"G'night," the younger man said as the other closed the door.

Harry was just about to lie down when it happened.

His scar seared as if on fire, and his vision went black. He heard someone laughing but no one was around. The pain blinded him, he felt something cold fall against his cheek. The laughing man sounded like a maniac, and Harry felt like one too. Something was definitely off here...

And then the pain subsided, and Harry found himself on the floor, breathing heavily. His shirt stuck uncomfortably to his chest; he was drenched in cold sweat. Once Harry had picked himself up, the door suddenly burst open.

"Are you alright, dear?" said a nervous looking witch. "I - I heard some sort of laughter... I thought maybe... Well, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah," Harry huffed shakily. "N-no problem, I just remembered something... something incredibly funny..."

The witch looked doubtful, but nevertheless left him alone. Harry knew what she was thinking - the cut had somehow addled his brain. Of course, Harry knew the truth. The Voldemort of the past was insanely happy, and Harry had no idea why.

Apparently, the scar - the connection was there, even in the past. This could be a problem.

Slowly, Harry lowered himself down on the cot. Voldemort... What was he so happy about? What could have possibly happened that elated the Dark Lord so much?

With those disturbing thoughts in mind, he let sleep slowly engulf him.

~o~

"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes, my lord. All the occurences have been thoroughly compensated. Nothing could go wrong."

A cry of pain shot through the darkness, and then shrill, manic cackles.

~o~

"Harrrrrrrrrrrryyyy," a voice penetrated the silence in Harry's mind. Sirius rolled the "R" like a Spaniard, and clapped his hands twice as if he was doing the flamenco. "Buenas dias, mi amigo!"

"Hurr...durr...surr," Harry mumbled, burying his face even deeper into his lumpy pillow.

"Wake up!" James hissed, shoving his son gently. "We're baaa-aaa-aaa-aaa-aaa-aaa-aaa-aaa-ck!"

"I can tell without you damaging my eardrums, thanks," Harry muttered, rubbing his eyes. "I wanna get back to sleep... nowww... huurrrggheer deerrghhhh leerrrggghhh..."

As Harry's head lowered back down on the pillow, Sirius shouted, "NOOO!" and ran in slow motion at the poor unsuspecting boy. He jumped dramatically, waving his hands foolishly in the air with surprising resemblance to a squirrel under ninja attack.

And then he landed.

"AAGH!"

"Shi- ack!"

"PADFOOT!"

James was doubled up, clutching his ribs in laughter. Sirius was thrown to the floor with Harry's surprising strength. Harry was now wide awake and breathing deeply, for Sirius had knocked all the air out of his lungs.

But Harry was determined for a good rest. He slumped back down on his cot, face down, and closed his eyes.

"Aw, c'mon, Harry," James said, taking a seat on the edge of his son's bed. "Wake up, kiddo, Professor Dumbledore wants to see you today, I think... He said so."

Harry raised his head a few inches and opened one eye, giving his father a curious look. "Dumbledore? What for?"

"I dunno, you tell me, kiddo," James said with a shrug. "Probably about where to keep you in the meantime, because term starts day after tomorrow, and there is no way I'm leaving you all alone."

Harry smiled at his father's words and shook his drowsiness away. He sat up straight and absently rubbed his scar as he reached for his glasses and put them on.

"Does it hurt?" Sirius asked rather rashly, giving Harry a curious look.

James shot his best mate a glare and looked at Harry symphathetically. He placed his hand on his son's, concern written all over his face (yet again another gesture Harry was not used to).

"N-no, it doesn't hurt," Harry said he added as an afterthought, more to himself really, "Not right now, anyway."

This, of course, deepened Sirius's curiousity and James's concern. Sirius tilted his head to the right like a wondering child. James's brows were furrowed as he thought about his son's reply.

"Not right now?" Sirius repeated, all with the stupendous lack of tact.

"Er, yeah," Harry replied, avoiding the question. He hurriedly changed the subject. "So, er, what d'you think Dumbledore's gonna have me do, then? Just lay around in Hogsmeade?"

This shook James out of his sad reverie. "Maybe," he said thoughtfully.

"Maybe not," Sirius added, dramatically injecting an air of mystery into his voice so that he reminded Harry of Professor Sybill Trelawney.

"Maybe you'll be an assistant caretaker to Filch," James thought aloud.

Harry looked at him dubiously. "There is no way I am helping him and his bloody annoying cat."

James looked like he could burst in pride. "I knew you really are my son!" He mockingly wiped faux tears from his eyes and huggged Harry, who chuckled and said, "D'you think Dumbledore would make me do that?"

"Nah, he isn't evil," Sirius said. Then he added his air of mystery again. "Or is he?" 


	11. Remus Comes In

The three boys sat bored in the reception area, waiting for them to release Harry. Django was still aimlessly prodding the long thin cut with his wand, and nothing happened at all.

"Rather peculiar, isn't it?" The healer said, more to himself than Harry. "Well, I see there is nothing more I can do here. You are free to go, Mr. Parker. And do try to keep away from trouble, won't you?"

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Thanks. Yeah, but you should know, sir, that I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble finds me."

Django chuckled and shooed him away, turning to a witch with a gash down her cheek. The gash was bleeding profusely, but Harry wasn't squeamish (He had seen a great deal of blood before - most of which was his own).

"Finally!" Sirius groaned loudly, earning a glare from some healers. "You'd think they'd patch you up sooner, I mean really..."

James hit his best mate upside the head and turned to Harry. "Come on, kiddo," he said with a smile, "Dumbledore wants to meet us at the Three Broomsticks. I hope Butterbeer's on him." They slowly headed out of the crowded reception area.

"I think I'd rather have some firewhisky," Harry thought out loud, remembering how the heat of the drink spread from his throat throughout his body, giving him newfound strength.

"Now I'm jealous," Sirius said, crossing his arms and pouting (thus bearing a strong resemblance to a child who had been given a time-out). "They won't give me any firewhisky."

"Oh? Why not?" The time traveler asked curiously. Sirius was of age, after all. Why couldn't he drink yet?

"They have this wild idea that I would slip something stronger in it and get everybody drunk," Sirius said, rather sulkily.

"And they have very good reasons to think that, Padfoot, mate," James said, smiling wistfully as he recalled a memory in the Three Broomsticks, which involved Mrs. Norris, a plunger, two banana peels and a little bit of a Muggle drink called vodka.

Harry smirked at that, wondering what could have possibly happened. They joked and laughed all the way up the corridors to the Entrance, where they met up with Mr. Potter beside his car.

"Hullo, Harry, m'boy," James's father greeted as the boys approached. "How's the cut?"

"Much better now, thanks," Harry said, smiling at his grandfather.

"Good, good," Mr. Potter smiled back. "Can we just wait a moment? Driving this Muggle contraption can be tiring at times..."

"Oh, I can drive, if you want," Harry said, approaching the driver's side door.

"You can drive?" Sirius asked, clearly impressed (and a tad bit jealous).

"That's what I just said," Harry said, giving his godfather a sarcastic smirk.

"You twat, Padfoot," James exclaimed, rolling his eyes (but he was smiling, which kind of ruined the whole effect). Sirius hit him upside the head and enterred the car, followed by his best mate.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Potter asked, a little nervously.

"Your lack of confidence in me is insulting, gramps," Harry joked, bouncing on his heels as he said the last word.

Mr. Potter smiled and enterred the car, riding shotgun. Harry sat on the driver's seat, smiling as he felt the cool leather. The steering wheel was also bound in black leather, something Harry's car had as well.

He had learned how to drive after the war, knowing that it could come in handy... Well, no, actually he learned how to drive so that Arthur Weasley could charm his car to fly, just like the Ford Anglia (Oh, such wonderful memories). He had been given a red Porsche by an extremely wealthy witch fan.

It was not as easy to maneuver as his Porsche (which was automatic) but nevertheless, he knew how to drive a stickshift too. Soon, they were cruising along the streets, and Mr. Potter was giving him directions to the manor.

"Dad," James said, poking his father on the shoulder. "Can you teach me how to drive?"

"Ask Harry to teach you," was the reply.

"Your son teaches you how to drive," Sirius said, shaking his head. "That is so odd."

They went on like that for the whole drive, keeping the conversation casual and light. Harry almost forgot about his Voldy problem, but it lingered in the back of his mind. Whenever there was a pause in the conversation, he found himself wondering what Tom Riddle was so happy about.

"Okay, we'll have a bit of brunch first, then you boys can lounge around and then you'll head off to Hogsmeade at noon, okay?" Mr. Potter said as Harry smoothed the car into the lot.

"Food," Sirius mumbled dreamily.

The boys enterred the Potter manor and were greeted by a frantic Mrs. Potter ("Oh, Harry, dear, are you okay? Does it still hurt? Do you want anything at all? You just tell me, or the house-elves, and you'll get it straight away..."). Harry appreciated her fussing, but nevertheless mollycoddling was kind of embarrassing ("I'm fine, don't worry... No, it's healing... I don't want to be a hassle...")

They tucked in and enjoyed a meal of all their favorite food, talking lightly and joking around. Mrs. Potter told Harry the story of the Vodka incident, with the boys injecting a few of their lines ("It wasn't that bad... The plunger helped though... Oh, that bloody cat was asking for it anyway!")

And then the doorbell rang, and something happened that was probably not supposed to.

A little house elf (It was Lua, she had a moon clip on her toga-towel-thing. Geo has a flower clip, and Soli has a sun clip) skipped past them and opened the door, greeting, "Oh, hello, masters Moony! Please, do coming in."

Harry's heart skipped a beat when he heard it. Moony. Remus Lupin. He had died in the final battle, leaving little Teddy in his hands, leaving sadness in his wake. And he was here.

Sandy hair? Check. Golden-caramel eyes? Check. Werewolf scars? Check, but not as many. The main difference was that this Remus was smiling, a true happy smile, and he didn't look stressed.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," he greeted respectfully. Then he turned to the boys. "Hey, Prongs, Padfoot, Prongs again... wait. What?" He gave Harry a quizzical look as James and Sirius chuckled.

"Er, Moony, this is my cousin Harry," James said, rather lamely. Remus scrutinized Harry and decided that it was okay to drop the matter for now.

"Hullo, Harry," he said, then turned back to the parents. "I was just dropping in, can I stay before term starts?"

"Of course, Remus," Mrs. Potter said, smiling warmly.

He dropped down on the seat next to Sirius and said, "Thank you. By the way, guys, I brought some treacle tart." He held out a package.

The effect was instantaneous.

"TREACLE!" James.

"TAART!" Harry.

"Miiiiiiine!" Sirius.

Three hands lunged out for the package in Remus's hand at once. Remus, clearly surprised, widened his eyes and attempted to shield his face from impact, thus letting go of the package.

The package flew. Sirius reached for it. James scrambled over him and tried to catch it. Harry leaped over them and caught it in his hands, showing off his Seeker skills. He raised the can triumphantly, which of course left it vulnerable.

James and Sirius reached out at him from left and right. Harry raised it high above their heads, and they all fell down into a massive heap on the floor. Harry was buried under the other two, but he was still holding the can up. Sirius's fingers were millimeters away when...

"Accio Treacle Tart!"

The can flew into Mrs. Potter's hands, and she stowed it away in a magically password-locked cupboard.

"MUM!" James groaned as Sirius stood up from over him. He got to his feet as well and helped Harry up (the poor bloke had been squashed twice that day). "We wanted that!"

"Obviously," she said and rolled her eyes. Behind her, Mr. Potter was chuckling and Remus was trying hard to steady his breathing from the laughter. "I'm keeping it for now, somebody could get hurt."

Sirius was looking longingly at the closed cupboard. James was stretching his arm, which Sirius had seriously damaged (A/N: No pun intended). Harry was trying to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him - yet again.

Remus's eyes were still shining in mirth as he said, "So, er, Harry," he said, smiling widely. "You're a fan of treacle tart, too, huh?"

Harry simply breathed, "Huuhhhhh suuuuhhhhh yuuuhhhhhh." He was doubled over, clutching his chest.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter shook their heads knowingly and exited the dining room, leaving the boys. Sirius attempted to open the cupboard with Alohomora, but it didn't do anything.

"I really wanted that," James mumbled sulkily.

"Me too," Harry mimed his father.

"Yeah, I could tell," Remus chortled. "So, Harry, I'm Remus Lupin - a friend of James and Sirius from Hogwarts. Are you going to go to Hogwarts as well?"

"Er, well, I'm not sure," Harry murmured truthfully. "But I came from overseas, I used to study in a place called... er, Harrington Academy of Magic."

Remus nodded, but had this glint in his eyes that told Harry he would probably look that up. The time traveler hoped against hope that Harrington was a real magical school somewhere in the world.

"So, Moony," Sirius said. He seemed to change his sulky mood remarkably. "Watcha?"

"Well, guys," Remus said grimly. He, too, had changed his mood. "There's a rumor about You-Know-Who flying around.

Harry's heart stopped for a fraction of a second, and when it restarted it was twice as fast. Was this possibly the reason Voldemort was so happy? 


	12. Truth Will Out

Harry's heart stopped for a fraction of a second, and when it restarted it was twice as fast. Could this be the reason Voldemort was so happy?

"News about Voldie, eh?" James said, shooting a furtive glance at Harry. "Well, what is it?"

"There's been a family massacre," Remus replied grimly. "In a Muggle village. The parents' names are Jenna and Mike Frey. There was no sign of any struggle or violence - They were just staring into the distance."

"Definitely Avada Kedavra," Sirius said with a dark look in his eyes. The boys were now making their way towards James's Room. "So is there any evidence it was Voldemort?"

"You guys are saying his name now?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yeah, Harry here convinced us to," James said as they reached the third floor landing.

"Fear of the name increases fear of the thing itself," Harry said, quoting his former headmaster. They were finally at the door of their shared room. The sign now said, "James, Sirius and Harry. Enter at your own peril."

James pushed the door open. Geo, one of the house-elves, was just fixing Remus's bags onto the floor beside his bed (Harry was now forced to sleep in Peter's bed. He was not happy about this). Harry noticed that when Remus stepped into the room, the sign on the door morphed into: "James, Sirius, Harry and Remus. Caution: Room May or May not Contain Explosives."

"So is there any evidence?" Sirius asked again.

"Residents next to the Freys heard a strange noise that night," Remus mumbled, settling down on his bed. "Laughter. No, not laughter, it lacked all the goodness in laughter. It was a cold and maniacal cackle."

Harry's heart leaped into his throat.

"Blimey," James breathed. "A cackle? Definitely Voldemort. What do you think it means?"

"Either he was intensely happy to kill the Freys specifically," Sirius mumbled. "Or he just enjoys killing and stuff."

"No, no, no," Remus muttered, shaking his head. "Couldn't be just that, because he cackled before he killed."

James's brows were raised as he said, "So that means..."

"He recieved vital information from the Freys," Harry finished grimly. "And when he got what he needed, he finished them off, so nobody would know about the information but him."

The other boys stared at him.

"What?" Harry asked innocently.

"That was very good logic," Remus commented, impressed. "I'm sorry for being so surprised, it's just, being close to James, I thought you would have the same stupidity of logic."

"Hey!"

Meanwhile, Sirius seemed shocked out of his skin at the logic. It was too much for his slow mind.

"Oi, I'll just go freshen up first, if you don't mind," Remus excused himself and enterred the bathroom. He closed the door behind him. As soon as he heard the lock click, Harry gestured for Sirius and Harry to come nearer.

"There's something I have to tell you guys," he breathed.

"What?" James and Sirius asked, mimicking Harry's volume.

"I had a vision," he whispered, staring at the ground. "About Voldemort. I think what I saw was the massacre of the Freys. He was cackling, and he said something like...like... 'Are you sure?' and some bloke answered, 'Yes, it is prepared,' or something like that."

"What?" James said, forgetting to whisper. "No, no, it was probably a dream, I mean Legilimency can't get that far and he was miles away."

"When Voldemort gave me my scar," Harry said in a very low voice. "A connection between us was made."

"Huh?" Sirius said, leaning in closer. "A connection? What d'you mean?"

But just as Harry was about to answer, the lock clicked and Remus stepped out of the bathroom in new clothes. Harry stared hard at both his father and godfather, and mouthed one word.

"Later."

~oOo~

"Where's my jacket?"

"Accio glasses! Ow, my eye!"

"Smooth, Harry."

"My socks! My socks are gone! Oh wait. There they are."

"Has anybody seen my jacket?"

"Ouch, Sirius, that was my-"

"There's my jacket!"

It was pandemonium in the boys' room. They were all having such fun talking about Quidditch, girls and school that they almost forgot about meeting Dumbledore. It was a quarter to noon when Remus suddenly said, "Hey, I thought you were going to meet the headmaster."

At last, they were all dressed and ready. They all wore Muggle clothing.

James wore a plain red long-sleeved shirt, faded blue jeans and trainers. Sirius wore a white shirt that had a huge black paw print on it, black jeans and sneakers. Remus wore a dark jacket with the Hogwarts insignia on it, jeans and black shoes. Harry wore a plaid button-up, black jeans and his Supras.

"Those shoes are awesome," Sirius mumbled sulkily as Harry pulled them on. They were, of course, from the future. Harry was wearing them when he traveled back in time.

They headed out to the yard where Mr. Potter's car was parked. Harry climbed inside the driver's seat and turned it on as everybody else filed in. James and Sirius had a little scuffle over who gets to ride shotgun, and in the end James won.

"Why can't you guys Apparate?" Harry asked as he backed the car out.

"Not allowed to do magic outside of school," James answered. "Although Side-Along Apparation is just fine. Still, we all passed our tests and we're allowed to start actually Apparating when term starts."

"Oh," Harry said rather sheepishly. Why hadn't he remembered that? He had only been gone... what, a year? Give or take a few months? Okay, about sixteen months. Big deal.

"Isn't it like that where you came from?" James asked, pointedly emphasizing the last four words.

"Er, yeah," Harry mumbled. "I just forgot. The holidays really do clear my head."

"Yeah, same here," Sirius said, smirking.

"Oh, no, Padfoot," Remus said casually, "You're head is empty all the time."

"Hey, I resent that!" Sirius said, abruptly turning to look at Remus, banging his head on the window in the process of doing so. All the other boys laughed, even Harry, who had seen it happen in the rearview mirror.

"Are you okay, Paddy?" James asked, unable to control his sniggering.

"I may be healthy in body, but your cruel malicious sniggering has gashed the realms of my spirit," Sirius said dramatically, raising a hand to the bump on his forehead.

Finally, the boys reached their destination - Hogsmeade. If you're wondering how they got there, Mr. Potter was quite like Mr. Weasley. He made the car to be like the Knight Bus so one could reach magical places. It did not possess the ability to move all over the world in a blink, though.

It was half past noon when they finally enterred the familiar warmth of the Three Broomsticks. Seeing Madam Rosmerta was a shock to Harry - she looked a good deal younger. In fact, she looked no older than any of them.

"Hello, Madam," James said, winking. "Ravishing, as always."

"Radiant," Sirius added, bowing chivalrously. "Extravagantly raidiant, Madam."

Madam Rosmerta rolled her eyes but smiled, and nodded to Remus with a look that said, "Oi, them again. This should be fun." Remus responded with his own nod and a look that said, "Be prepared. Although they seem stable today."

"And who is this dashing young man?" Madam Rosmerta asked, looking at Harry with a kind smile.

"This is my cousin, Harry," James said, ruffling his son's hair.

Harry said hi and smiled warmly, and Madam Rosmerta winked at him. Creepy. She's about twenty years older than him, after all. He swiftly turned away and looked around, spotting Dumbledore seated in a semi-circular booth, smiling kindly at them.

"Sorry we're late, Professor," Harry said as they approached. "We lost track of time."

"Never mind, never mind, boys," Dumbledore beamed as they sat around him. James and Sirius to his left; Harry and Remus to his right.

"So, what's up, boss?" Sirius asked, straight to the point.

"I've called you hear to discuss the matters of Harry's stay," Dumbledore said, pointedly looking at Remus. James caught on, and immediately began thinking of excuses for Remus to go. Sirius caught on, but had much less tact.

"Shoo, Moony," he said, flipping his hand in a way you would get rid of a fly.

Remus looked indignant. "Why?" he asked.

"Because," James said before Sirius could do more damage, "because... because Harry was sent here for a reason, Moony, and we're sorry but we can't tell you... yet. So... could you please leave for a while?"

Remus looked curious, but accepted it with a friendly smile at Harry and left for Flourish and Blotts.

"Thank you, James," the headmaster of Hogwarts said with a smile. "Now, about Harry..." He turned to Harry and scrutinized his facial features. His eyes lingered for a moment on the green eyes, and then came to rest upon his scar.

"Erm... yes?" Harry prompted when Dumbledore simply continued to look at him. He squirmed when the twinkling blue eyes continued to stare, X-raying him. And then he realized.

"Please, sir," he said softly, "Please get out of my mind. I'm not very skilled in Occlumency."

Dumbledore looked surprised, and James and Sirius looked confused.

"What's ox-loo-men-see?" Sirius asked James quietly.

"Probably a new kind of toiltet brand," James whispered back.

"Forgive me, my dear boy," Dumbledore said apologetically. "But I understand that you did not have a proper N.E.W.T. year."

"It's quite all right, sir," Harry said, nodding. "And, yes, the war took up pretty much my whole seventh year. I hope you did not uncover too much of the future, sir, something could go wrong."

"Oh no, no, no," Dumbledore said calmly. "I only uncovered that small bit of information. So, are you willing to complete your final year at Hogwarts - or at least get the basics down?"

Harry was shell-shocked. He was being offered a proper N.E.W.T. year at Hogwarts - with his parents. With. His. Parents. In the same class. Sane people would have been at least a little creeped out, but let's face it. Harry was not exactly sane. He was thrilled.

"That would be great, sir," Harry said, beaming.

"You were in Gryffindor House, I assume?"

Harry nodded.

James and Sirius were now whispering about the sales of "Ox-loo-men-see," and discussing the pros and cons of releasing their own line of toilets.

"Then it is settled," Dumbledore said grandly, grabbing the attention of the two boys. "Harry will be going to Hogwarts as James's cousin."

James whooped and Sirius high-fived him. Harry beamed and shook hands with Dumbledore, getting up.

"Better hurry up, boys," the headmaster said. "After all, you are in Hogsmeade. Might as well buy everything Harry needs for seventh year."

~oOo~ 


	13. Dumblydorr

Harry, James and Sirius exited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, bringing quite a few packages with them. They carried them all the way to Flourish and Blotts, where they bumped into Remus (and dropped a whole lot of things).

"Hullo, Moony," Sirius said, adding Harry's needed books to the cauldron he brought around. "Harry here will be joining us at Hogwarts. We're almost done with the shopping."

Once they had brought out everything and were on their way, to the car, James suddenly said, "Hey, Harry, d'you want an owl?"

Harry started. An owl? But nobody could possibly replace Hedwig. Then again, he missed the calming hoots and affectionate nibbles.

"But who would I write to?" Harry asked.

"Your parents?" Remus suggested.

Harry decided to tell him a bit of the truth. "They're... they're dead."

Remus looked at him with wide eyes, and then nodded solemnly, mumbling sorry over and over again. Sirius sighed and James closed his eyes for a moment, taking a few deep breaths.

"Trust us, Harr-bear," Sirius said, trying to recover from the wave of sadness that washed over them. "Having an owl can be very useful, even if you have... no one... to write to..."

"Well, come on," James said, entering the Owl Emporium. He looked at Harry with those hazel eyes, and Harry recieved his unspoken message:

"I wasn't there to buy you your first owl. Now's my chance."

They walked around the place, looking at different owls, but only one caught Harry's attention. He was snowy white, with a brown heart-shape framing his face and black flecks on his feathers. He had big, golden eyes and a calm, proud look to him, reminding Harry very much of Hedwig. He smiled as he approached.

"That one looks nice," Remus commented, nodding approvingly.

"It's twenty Galleons," Sirius said, peering at the tag on the golden cage.

James was watching Harry stroke the owl's head softly. The young time traveler was smiling wistfully, chuckling a bit as the owl nipped his finger affectionately.

James took twenty Galleons out of his pocket and dropped them into Harry's hand covertly. No one else noticed.

"No, dad," Harry whispered to him. "I can pay for him myself. I can't take your money."

But James merely smiled and walked away. Harry shook his head with a smile and approached the counter, clutching the coins in one hand and the cage in the other.

He named the owl Soren.

~oOo~

"When are we to journey, my lord?"

"When the time is right. Patience. We must wait until the plan works for sure."

"Term is about to start, my lord. Tomorrow, in fact."

"Yes... but we need a little more time. We haven't obtained the stone yet... Thank you, you have been of great service, Severus."

~oOo~

Harry woke suddenly, breathing hard. He was pale, shaky and drenched in cold sweat. The last word he had heard was still ringing in his ears...

He looked around. James turned silently on his bed, making the bed creak a little. Starlight streamed through the window, lightly touching Remus on his bed. Sirius snored loudly, his mouth wide open.

Beside his own bed, Soren slept silently in his cage, his head buried under his wing.

Harry looked out the window. It was a new moon. He sighed and ran his fingers through his unruly hair, standing up. He decided to go down for a glass of water... or maybe some soothing tea...

He crept silently down the corridors of the third floor (Marauders' Bedroom, three guest rooms), down the stairs to the second floor (Master Bedroom, a fancy-schmancy bathroom, and a door that was sealed magically) and down to the first floor (kitchen, dining room, living room).

"Hello, Masters Harry," Geo greeted. He was standing at the doorway of the kitchen."Geo knews he heard someone. It is awful late."

"Sorry to wake you up, Geo," Harry said, smiling sleepily. "I just wanted to make a cup of tea."

"Oh noes, master must lets Geo make the tea," the little house-elf said, grabbing the teacup before Harry could reach for it. "Geo makes the bestest tea, sir!"

Harry smiled sadly, thinking of Dobby and Kreacher. "Thank you, Geo," he said softly. "I-I'll just go upstairs to fetch something and come back for it later, okay?"

"It will be ready when master returns, sir," Geo said, whistling as he prepared the tea.

Harry, as silently as he could, ran up the stairs and opened the Marauders' door a crack. He slipped through the frame and knelt down before his trunk, which contained his pack. He opened it and smiled as he saw the intricately woven silver cloak that once belonged to one Ignotus Peverell.

With his mind positively whirring in thought, it was impossible for him to get back to sleep. He decided to go for a walk around the manor after gulping down his tea, under the safety of his trusty Invisibility Cloak.

He slowly walked downstairs again, feeling the soft fabric ripple against his rough skin (let's face it Harry, with all those burns, scars, bruises and marks, you can never have smooth skin). It felt lighter than air and more fluid than water.

As he approached the kitchen, he stuffed the cloak out of Geo's line of sight and thanked the house-elf for his tea.

"Any night, Master Harry," he said, bouncing out of the kitchen. "Just ask and Geo shall give!"

Harry drank his tea in one gulp, nearly choking to death. Eyes streaming, he threw the Cloak over himself and walked out of the front door, instantly feeling the calming effects of the tea. Even so, it was not enough to make him feel sleepy.

He allowed his legs to take the lead and just make his mind wander. Voldemort was happy because of the information from the Freys. Snape knew about this information. He was helping the Dark Lord. Still so young...

He rounded a corner and permitted his subconscious to take him to the black forest. The scene of the crime. The site where he had nearly lost his father (and his existence, thank you very much).

"If Snape is helping Voldemort," Harry thought out loud, "then that's good. But then again, what if... But even so... No, no, I've got to let things fall perfectly into place. I can't ruin the future..."

He walked onto the hill where they had landed, looking out into the forest. The Cloak rustled at his feet, and his bare feet were showing, pale against the darkness.

He sighed, wondering what a peaceful life would possibly feel like. He turned around to go back to the manor, when he felt the Cloak being torn away from him, flying into the night. Panicking, he held on to the selvage tightly and felt his feet lift from the ground. He closed his eyes as the wind whipped his face. He was being dragged by the Cloak, acting like a paper clip attracted to some huge magnet.

He didn't know what to think. The wind was cold, he was visible, and he was flying into some unknown place.

Friend or foe or bro or hoe? (A/N: I totally just put that in for the heck of it).

~oOo~

Meanwhile, somewhere else, Voldemort was (once again) laughing like the megalomaniac that he is, awaiting the thing he had searched for.

~oOo~

It was late into the night, or really early into the morning. James Potter couldn't tell. All he knew was that a soft click seemed to wake him up, but even so he didn't rise until he had concluded that he would not be able to fall back asleep.

His eyes sleepily scanned the bedroom, and it took him a few seconds to register in his head that a bed was empty. Someone was missing. Who? Er... Peter? Wait. No, Harry. Yeah.

He groggily got up and checked the bathroom for any sign of his future son. No one was in there. Now he was starting to feel the panic building. He shook Sirius awake rather viciously.

"Hurrgh..." Sirius said sleepily, sitting up on his bed. "What?"

"Son gone," James said, shaking all the sleep away. "We look."

"Why're you all awake?" Remus said, getting up from his own bed. "How am I supposed to sleep with all the noise?"

"Harry's not here," James said, now completely awake. "I've got to find him."

"Prongs," Sirius groaned, rolling over on his bed and falling over the side. He didn't seem to mind, though, for he continued from the floor. "Has it ever occured to you that he might just be downstairs, drinking some tea?"

"Yeah," James said, pulling Sirius up harshly. "But I just have this really bad feeling about tonight."

Remus nodded knowingly. He knew Sirius made some sense, but he had also learned to trust James's instincts. His "just feelings" had saved them many times before, after all. 


	14. Instinct

Holy crumcakes, I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. School has been hectic and I couldn't log in!  
So, anyway...

James, Sirius and Remus searched the manor for any sign of Harry. James's panic was building by tenfold with every step he took. He was getting uneasy, but he had enough sense crammed into him to ask the house-elves.

"Soli knows not, sir."

Strike one.

"Luna was be sleeping, masters."

Strike Two.

One more. Just one more house-elf left. James was dying to just see his son's face again, he was starting to think meeting Harry was all a dream and he woke the others up for nothing. But Geo could hold the answer he longed to hear...

"Masters Harry was asking for tea, sir, and Geo gaves it to him, he did. But Geo thought masters went back to bed after that."

Strike two and a half.

Geo did not know where Harry was, but James calmed down a bit. Maybe Harry was just outside for a walk. He led the boys out of the house, but a firm hand held him back gruffly.

"What's up, son?" his father asked. He was wearing a maroon bathrobe embroidered with the Potter family crest. "It's too early to be out. I heard a lot of kerfuffle, you see."

"Oh, I, er," James stammered, looking nervously at Remus. "Harry's missing, and... I... I just have this weird feeling..."

Mr. Potter nodded solemnly. He had learned to trust his instincts as well. "I see," he said, taking out his wand. "Well, might as well bring the Invisibility Cloak, boys. Accio Invisibility Cloak!"

~oOo~

It was at this moment that Harry's feet left the safety of the earth. He was speeding along to who knows where, clutching his cloak and shutting his eyes tight.

The Marauders, meanwhile, waited patiently for James's Invisibility Cloak at the porch. Mr. Potter had just Apparated back to his bedroom, and they could hear the cloak zooming down the house.

WHOOSH.

James caught the Cloak in his right hand and turned to his two friends. They were about to go search when something made Remus's eyes widen. He heard a distant whooshing sound, just like when the cloak was flying towards them. But this thing was... heavier...

CRASH.

Next thing they knew, they were a heap of bodies on the ground, with Harry on top, glasses askew.

"Smooth," Sirius huffed. "Real smooth."

Harry picked himself up from the ground and brushed himself off. He was just about to look up when all the breath was knocked out of him (yet AGAIN) by a bone-crushing hug from his father.

"Where'd you disappear to?" James asked, dropping his arms. The hug lasted for a mere millisecond, but Remus couldn't help but notice how close the "cousins" were.

"I just wanted to walk around, I couldn't sleep," Harry said with a shrug. "I didn't know it would worry you guys so much."

"We have learned to trust James's instincts," Sirius said nobly.

"I have a question, though," Remus said, looking curiously at Harry's Invisibility Cloak. "James Summoned his Invisibility Cloak... How'd it affect yours like that? I'm pretty sure the Summoning Charm understands that he meant his cloak, not yours..."

"Er, well," Harry stammered. "I don't know."

"Where did you get the cloak, Harry?" Remus prodded suspiciously.

"It's a family heirloom," Harry stated in full confidence, and Sirius's and James's eyes widened in comprehension. "It's the only thing I have left from my father."

Remus dropped the matter, not wanting to seem tactless in discussing an orphan's parents. Sirius filled the silence by muttering, "Some instinct you have, James."

James looked affronted. "Well, I just felt that he was in trouble!"

"That's creepily obsessive," Harry said with a chuckle. "But flattering. Thank you."

James punched him on the shoulder, Sirius laughed and Remus beamed cheekily. They were all about to turn back to the house when suddenly, the air froze and sent chills down their spines. Something was wrong...

"Something's off around here," Sirius remarked, rubbing his arm as though the cold breeze sliced through his skin.

"Better get inside," Remus advised. "Hurry up, guys."

The boys ran inside hurriedly, sprinted up the staircase and slammed the door behind them. There was an ominous feeling in the air, as though something terrible was about to happen, or perhaps happening at that very moment...

"That was creepy," James muttered.

But then Harry's vision went black, and he heard a cry of agony escape from his lips. Another cry came, but from very far away... It seemed like he was drifting away from everyone, gliding into some dark lair...

Harry felt a lurch of apprehension and excitement. A man in a dark cloak was walking towards him, holding a small red box in his hands.

"It is here, my lord," the man said. "I have it. We are prepared for the plan."

Harry felt great joy, and suddenly he was being pulled back into the Potter manor, James was shaking him, yelling his name, Sirius was staring at his body, quite obviously shaken and Remus was kneeling by James, looking worried. There was pain in his forehead, a pain so severe that it blurred Harry's vision and seared as if it was on fire (the blue kind, not the orange).

"Harry! Harry, what's - are you - Harry!"

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's trembling... He... he's really in pain..."

"Oh, really, Moony?" Sarcasm. "I didn't notice that! I thought he was writhing on the ground in pleasure!"

"Bickering isn't going to help him!"

Suddenly, the pain subsided, and Harry was breathing heavily on the ground, clutching his father's hand painfully. The boys were huddled around him, looking quite shaken.

"What happened, Harry?" Sirius asked, breathing almost as heavily as Harry.

"M-my scar," Harry said, as he could hardly lie at a time like that.

"Is that a Dark scar?" Remus asked curiously, helping Harry to sit up.

Harry nodded, but didn't say anything else. James and Sirius looked sad again, and Remus could tell there was so much history behind that scar. Harry's eyes glowed with the kind of sheen only a brave man had; the kind of man who had seen too much for his age (or any age at all, for Harry's matter).

"Remus, could you get Harry a glass of water?" James asked, not taking his eyes away from his son's.

Remus nodded and exited the room. He understood why James wanted to stay with Harry, though he had never seen cousins that close before. He vaguely wondered why Sirius couldn't do it, but Remus was not one who looked for trouble of any kind.

"What's up, Harry?" Sirius asked, suddenly getting out of character and getting very... well, serious (A/N: No pun intended. Oh, who am I kidding? I couldn't help it).

"You know how I told you of my scar's connection with Voldemort?" Harry began slowly and continued when the other two nodded. "I... I've been getting visions of him... well, flashes, really... and it seems to me like he has a master plan that could only be completed if he obtained this certain something from Sna- somebody...

"He just got that 'certain something' today," he continued dramatically, "and I think that's what caused the eerie state washing over us right now. The question is how could something be so powerful that it emanates a negative feeling so deeply?"

Sirius gave a low whistle. "Scary."

"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" James asked, still looking directly into the green eyes he had come to love so much.

"I didn't want to worry you," Harry said sincerely. "I'm sorry, maybe I should've told you, but you were just so happy and I couldn't bring myself to tell you... to ruin that joy... oh, and with Remus around, it gets kind of harder."

"Oh, and something else," he said, deciding there was no more beating around the bush (and a very thorny bush it was). "The green cut was from Voldemort. H-he was there that day."

"Oh bugger," Sirius said. It was hardly over a whisper, but it was clear to anyone who heard it that he meant "OH DAMN THAT IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST NEWS I HAVE EVER GOTTEN OH BLOODY HELL WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE WE GOING TO DO!"

James looked at his son, alarm evident in his eyes, but didn't say anything. Remus had just reappeared with a glass of water and handed it to Harry, who smiled gratefully and gulped it down.

"Does the scar always react like that?" Remus said, observing the thin, jagged cut in interest. "You don't have to answer if it bothers you or anything, but it's just really curious..."

"Er, no, it doesn't always act like that," Harry said, selecting his words very meticulously. "It hurts when... when... well, it usually acts as a warning signal or something..."

"Curious," Remus said, helping Harry to his feet. "Very curious." (A/N: Just a tiny tribute to Ollivander).

"We should really get back to sleep," James said, realizing it was three in the morning. "It's opening tomorrow. We've got to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by nine o' clock, at least."

"Righty-o."

They all crept into their respective beds, but none of them could actually sleep peacefully. James would just stare at Harry, wondering why his son had to go through all the pain that would benefit everyone else. Sirius kept wondering if Regulus knew anything about Voldy's plan. Remus was calculating and analyzing all the oddities of Harry Potter.

And soon, one by one, they fell into an uneasy sleep, just as the Death Eaters woke up. 


	15. Here We Go

Remus woke up the next day, his mind temporarily numbed from thought. He yawned and took a bath at the speed of light. When he was done, he changed into clean Muggle clothes, cleverly disguised for the trip to King's Cross.

When he returned to the room, he realized that Harry's bed was empty - and tidily done. Remus started. He was usually the earliest riser of the group, but Harry seemed to have risen at five in the morning, seeing as it was only six thirty when Remus awoke. The young werewolf found himself wondering about James's odd new cousin - maybe feeling a tad bit jealous.

HE was the early riser of the group. HE was the voice of reason. HE was the critical, logical thinker. He knew that these were ridiculous, silly little things to be upset over, and he refused to admit it, but Remus was definitely feeling some spite.

He shook James awake rather roughly and chucked most of his things in his trunk. He grabbed a spare bit of parchment and an old quill, and wrote very legibly: "The Breaking Down of Harry Potter."

The list was basically of the oddities Remus noticed in their new friend, and it was quite short... for now.

1. Apparently, he was sent to Hogwarts for a top secret reason.  
2. He claims to come from Harrington Academy of Magic.  
3. His Invisibility Cloak reacted to James' Summoning Charm.  
4. He has a Dark scar on his forehead.  
5. He is an orphan (Not that there's anything odd about that, but I want to list it anyway).

Remus dug into the depths of his mind for more, but the other information he had on Harry seemed to be legit. He sighed, folded his parchment and stored it in his pocket just as James woke Sirius up ("Aguamenti!" "PRONGS I AM GOING TO *elder swear*")

Just as Sirius slammed the bathroom door behind him, Harry enterred the room. He wore a red button-down open over a white tee shirt, ripped jeans and sneakers. His hair was still a little wet, but it stuck up just like James's. He yawned as he plopped down onto his bed, rubbing his eyes.

"What time d'you wake up, Harry?" James asked, pulling a blue v-neck over his head, keeping it untucked over his gray jeans.

"Four-thirty," the time traveler replied, slumping against his bedpost. "I tried to get back to sleep, but couldn't. So... yeah."

"First day at Hogwarts today, huh?" Remus asked, trying to be nice. "Well, I was really amazed when I first saw Hogwarts. You should be too."

"It can't be all that different from Harrington," Harry said with a shrug.

"What's Harrington like, anyway?"

Harry mentally slapped himself for making that mistake. He should have kept his mouth shut, he shouldn't have led them into asking about his (probably) nonexistent school.

"It's... big," he mumbled, smiling humorlessly at his stupid description. Hey, he made it this far, right? Why not bend it as far as it goes? "Er, it's in Spain, and it has... dragons surrounding it to protect it. You can only get there through a magical portal behind a... fountain."

"What?" Remus asked, his eyes widening. "I-I've never even heard of it."

"That's because it's top secret," James said mysteriously, whispering and checking around the room for eavesdroppers. "The school's theme is Defense Against the Dark Arts. They're trained to become the best undercover Aurors, the people who defeat the great Dark wizards without anyone knowing it."

"Is that true?"

"Sure it is," Sirius said, mimicking James's earlier actions. He had just come out of the bathroom, pushing his fringe out of his vision. "Why do you think some Dark wizards just disappear? Harry here has brought down about seven major wizards and thrice as many minor wizards."

"Like who?" Remus countered skeptically.

"Nimuela Drione," James said dramatically. Sirius nodded with wide eyes, and Remus gasped. Harry had no idea who that witch was.

"R-really?" Remus said, and Harry was quite surprised to know that Remus would believe something as outrageous as that so easily. Then again, this Remus was not the wise Professor Lupin he had come to know. This Remus was still young, still so naive. "Nimuela D-Drione? She was the most powerful witch known in this era!"

"W-ell," Harry said, trying to figure out if he'd heard the name before. "Well, it wasn't exactly me, and-"

"He's just being modest," James said, obviously enjoying their little story. "He single-handedly defeated her in a cave east of Spain. By the way, Moony, you can't tell anyone this, or else the headmistress of Harrington will hunt you down."

Remus nodded solemnly and Harry had to turn away to hide his laughter.

"So... can I know why you were sent here?" Remus whispered as they descended the stairs. "Is there a Dark wizard near Hogwarts?"

"Oh... Well," Harry said, fighting to keep a straight face. "There's been confirmation about a Dark source planning to launch an attack on the school. It's a threat to the whole Wizarding community."

"And they sent you alone?" Remus asked, as though he was afraid they would be overheard. "You must be pretty good."

Harry looked at Remus, and it gave him a queer feeling to see Remus Lupin looking at him with admiration and respect. He was supposed to look at Remus like that, not the other way around.

The four boys bade goodbye to Mrs. Potter and the house-elves, and boarded the car. Mr. Potter sat at the driver's seat, and James was riding shotgun. Harry sat between Sirius and Remus at the back.

"I hope you boys do well in your final year at Hogwarts," James's father said as he drove into the King's Cross Station. "And hopefully I won't be contacted about your shenanigans too frequently."

"Don't worry, dad," James said with a mischievous grin. "Sirius and I just might have that problem solved."

"Merlin's beard."

The four boys exited the car and waved goodbye as Mr. Potter drove away. They went to the entrance in two's. James and Harry leaned casually against the bricks and began chatting (attracting quite a few female eyes). Remus and Sirius pretended to cross by their path and as the sight was blocked, the Potters enterred Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

They were joined later by Remus and Sirius, and together they enterred the scarlet steam engine. Harry enjoyed the scene - happy smiles, vaguely familiar faces, owls hooting, cats hissing, toads bouncing...

"Hey Potter! Potter! Hey!"

The boys had just settled into an empty compartment when a girl with blonde hair and a brilliant smile appeared at the door. She flipped her hair over he shoulder and beamed her dazzling teeth at them.

"Hey, had a good summer?" she asked, batting her lashes, especially at James.

"Fine," Sirius and James answered monotonously while Remus opened a thick book and began reading it.

"Well, mine was splendid," she said, doing a little twirl on her toes. "Father just bought me the new Silver Arrow. What d'you think, James?"

"Uh-huh," the addressed boy said with the same lifeless tone.

The girl looked annoyed, but her eyes lit up when she saw Harry. She scanned his form, scrutinized his face and widened her eyes when she saw the scar.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Oh, Elise, this is Harry, my cousin," James said, twiddling his thumbs and staring at them intently. "He's a transfer student."

"From where?" Elise asked with interest. She leaned into the compartment, making Sirius roll his eyes.

"Harrington Academy of Magic," Harry replied pleasantly.

"Well, welcome to Hogwarts, Harry," she said flirtatiously. She licked her lips and batted her lashes again, amazing Harry at her skill at blinking so rapidly.

"Thank you," he said with a smile, and Elise walked away, swinging her hips and flipping her hair.

"Oi, she has a new target," Sirius groaned. "Better prepare for torture, Harry."

"Why?"

"Elise McGannens has snogged every boy in the year," Remus answered without looking up from his book. "Except the Marauders, of course. She's been trying to hook up with James since third year."

Harry shuddered inwardly, perfectly aware that Elise was probably twenty years older than him.

Suddenly, the train started moving and there was a crash from outside, followed by a squeaky "Sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Wormtail," The three Marauders said together as the compartment door slid open.

"Prongs! Padfoot! Moony! Prongs's cousin!" Peter Pettigrew said as he tumbled into a seat. "Hello! Had a good summer? And if you're wondering how I knew about your cousin, McGannens won't shut up about him, honestly, it's as though there's a celebrity on board..."

"Wormy?" Sirius said kindly. "You're blabbing again."

"...Sorry."

"Harry, this is Peter, we call him Wormtail," James said, smiling at the new boy. "And Wormy, this is Harry."

"Hullo, Harry."

Harry's brain was numb. This was Wormtail, the boy who would one day be the death of his parents. He could kill him right there... He could have a normal life... He could finally learn what it would be like to have parents...

"Hullo, Peter," they shook hands.

Harry had to keep in mind that the people there were not the same people he knew (or thought he knew). In this time, Peter was still James's friend. Peter was just a young boy, innocent and naive. Harry could never hurt someone who was guilty of a crime that has yet to occur.

The boys got along well enough, despite the fact that Harry still felt extremely uncomfortable around a good-natured Wormtail. They laughed, they joked, they planned...

...And suddenly, a booming loud voice echoed through the carriage, making everyone flinch.

"JAMES POTTER!" 


	16. Those Pesky Slytherins

"JAMES POTTER!"

"Bloody hell!" James swore, standing up so suddenly that he hit Harry on the face with the back of his hand. "I forgot! Lily!"

He sped out of the compartment door, slamming it shut behind him. Harry massaged the side of his forehead that James smacked, trying to seem confused. In truth, his heart was pounding... That was Lily's voice... His mother's voice...

"He's Head Boy," Peter explained, as if Harry really didn't know. "Lily Evans is Head Girl, and she's been the apple of James's eye since... well, since forever."

Harry nodded, looking out the window. Sirius tapped his fingers restlessly on his arm, avoiding everyone's eyes. Peter, of course, was confused and curious, but not curious enough to prod further into it.

"JAMES POTTER, YOU IMBECILE!" Lily's voice rang through the train. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE UP FRONT! Goodness, can't you be separated from those Marauders of yours for even just a second?"

"Sorry, Lily," James said apologetically. "You want me in private?" He had a mischievous air in his voice, and Harry couldn't help but smirk at his father's attempt. A smack from outside indicated that Lily slapped him.

"Ow! Just kidding! Blimey, Lily, can't you take a joke?"

"What's your excuse for being late, anyway?" Lily demanded impatiently.

"Oh, well, you see," James said, "My cousin came from abroad and is now attending Hogwarts with us. Sorry, we let time slip away from us, I rarely ever get to see him."

"Great," Lily replied sarcastically, opening the compartmet door. "Another Pott-"

Her voice caught in her throat as her eyes met his. He was an almost perfect replica of James. He had green eyes, just like hers... And a thin, jagged cut on his forehead... Something was wrong... Or maybe it was just too right.

"Don't worry," the stranger said with a sincere smile. "James will always be your favorite Potter. I know that."

James beamed at him, Sirius high-fived him, Remus sniggered and Peter chuckled. Lily, of course, rolled her eyes but smiled. She couldn't judge this boy just because she was related to Potter. Anyway, there was something about him that made Lily smile.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said brightly. "I'm Lily Evans, Head Girl. I hope you'll like our school. Where are you from?"

"Harrington Academy of Magic," Harry answered, standing up to shake her hand. "It's in Spain. My name is Harry, by the way."

"Pleased to meet you, Harry," Lily said with a warm smile. Her warmth quickly froze into sheer cold as she said to James, "Potter, don't you DARE be late for any more head duties. Making you Head Boy, what were they thinking? Honestly, you weren't even a Prefect..."

She slid out of the compartment and closed the door behind her. James ran after her, leaving a conflicted Harry and three Marauders inside.

"So, Harry," Peter said, obviously anxious to learn more about the new student. "What's it like in Spain? Do you play Quidditch? What position? What about your best class? Your favorite pudding?"

"Spain? Lots of fountains and stuff," Harry said with a snigger. "Quidditch? Yes. Position? Seeker. Class? Defense. Pudding? Treacle Tart."

"Blabbing," Sirius said, looking pointedly at Peter.

"Sorry," the boy said sheepishly, turning quite an odd shade of red. "But Harry... Are you single? Because McGannens seems to have the hots for you."

Harry thought for a moment. His mind went immediately to Ginny, but he knew that he ended it right there and then, at Dumbledore's funeral. He couldn't lie about them. He coudln't just say "Oh, I have a girlfriend named Ginny." Things were never that easy for Harry. He knew that guilt would eat away at him if he lied...

"Yeah," Harry said softly. "Yeah, I'm single."

"Ayyy," Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"That could mean a whole lot of trouble," Remus said with a knowing smile. "Elise McGannens is one heck of a flirt. She will stop at nothing to get her prey."

"But you managed to get out of it," Harry said, masking the desperate hope in his voice.

"Er, well," Sirius mumbled. Remus sniggered.

"Sirius here has snogged a loooot of girls," Peter said in singsong voice, acting innocent.

"You sicken me," Harry said, shooting a mock death glare to his once and future godfather.

"Elise doesn't want to kiss me," Peter said. "And that's all good, because the feeling is mutual."

"Same goes for me," added Remus. "Her target's James, but James only has eyes for Lily. She's locked and loaded on you, now. Better brace yourself, Harry."

"Or better yet, find yourself a girl to obsess over, and escape like James," Peter said, rubbing his hands together. "We can set you up with somebody! How about Chas Chang? She's hot..."

Harry gulped. Chang...? Oh no. He couldn't fancy anybody in this time. It would be way too wrong.

"Er, no thanks," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I really don't want to."

Sirius was shaking in silent laughter, and Harry guessed it was probably because he saw the dilemma. Remus was looking at them suspiciously, and Peter was just confused.

Suddenly, the compartment door opened, and a girl with silky long black hair stepped in. She smiled at everybody and said, "Hello, Marauders. Had a good summer?"

"Harry, this is Chas!" Peter squeaked excitedly. "And Chastity, this is Harry, James's cousin!"

Harry had to admit, Chastity was just as pretty as her daughter. He then mentally slapped himself, because that sounded so wrong in his head.

"Nice to meet you, Harry," Chas said with a flirtatious smile.

Great, Harry thought. In this time, he would be just as famous as he was in his own time. He was hoping for a break from the fangirls and fame, but here he would be known as, not the Boy Who Lived, not the Man Who Conquered, not the Chosen One... but The Clone of James Potter, The One We Girls Have A Chance With.

Then, somebody behind Chas caught Harry's eye. She had long, wavy hair, somewhere between brown and black. Her eyes were the same color, and Harry had never been more attracted to brown eyes. She had a warm smile and perfect teeth.

"Hello," she said.

Bloody hell, Harry thought. He couldn't like anybody in this time! What if she's the mom of somebody from his time?

"Hey," he said with a casual shrug.

"I'm Arcianna," she said, "Cian or Cianna for short."

"I'm Harry," he answered with a cheeky smile. "Harry for short."

Cianna giggled, and Harry found his insides squirming. He mentally slapped himself again (he suspected that his mental self was very beat up by this time) and shook it off.

"Arcianna is a Muggle-born," Remus said. "She's an orphan."

"My parents are dead too," Harry said with genuine sympathy in his voice. "I know how it feels."

"Sorry," Cianna replied with the same sincere kindness in Harry's voice. "But I guess that's what makes us strong, yeah?"

Harry nodded solemnly, just as James burst in.

"Hide!" he yelled. The Marauders all ducked under the table and James threw the Invisibility Cloak over them. Harry had a good guess of what was happening, but didn't feel the need to hide.

A bald guy with a hooked nose enterred the compartment, pushing Chas and Cianna out. He was flanked by two equally bald guys, all of them seething. Harry could hear the sniggers of others from outside and deduced that they weren't supposed to be bald. James was tugging at Harry's pant leg, signalling him to hide with them, but it was too late.

"JAMES POTTER!" the one on the left yelled, whipping his wand out and pointing it straight at Harry's heart, but the boy didn't even flinch. "YOU DARE-"

"I'm not James," Harry said calmly.

"Sure you aren't," the one on the right spat.

"I'm Harry, his cousin," the Boy Who Lived said with a cheeky little smile. "Surely I don't look that much like James? I'm insulted. Obviously, I'm much better looking."

Sirius sniggered from under the table, and James punched his son's leg lightly.

"That isn't James," the one in the middle said, and Harry instantly recognized his voice. Severus Snape. "James is an arrogant, conceited braggadocio who would never denounce his 'good' looks."

Although Harry couldn't see them, he could tell that all the Marauders tensed. He stood up and faced the young Snape, looking very confident, which was a contrast to how he felt on the inside.

"There's no need to insult my cousin," he said. It was barely a whisper, but it made the two flanking Snape shiver.

"And why not?" Snape countered, jabbing his wand at Harry's chest. "He deserves so much more than just insults."

Harry whipped out his own wand, and heard James gasp from behind him. In truth, James was trying to get out of the table and protect Harry, but the four of them squashed together hindered his escape.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

The bald guy on the right launched a Stunner at Harry, but the boy reflected it and it hit the guy on the left. Snape yelled "Impedimenta!" but Harry evaded it quickly and hit Snape with his shoulder to force him down. Bald Guy quickly sent a Disarming Charm at Harry, but he dodged it and sent a Stunner directly to the guy's chest. Two down, one to go.

"Sectumsempra!"

Harry didn't have time to do much about it, but he managed to duck slightly to the left. The spell hit his right arm and it felt as if fire was ripping his skin apart. He was knocked backwards a little, but he pushed himself up and got ready to fire another spell when Snape suddenly fell backwards, revealing James breathing heavily with his wand out.

For a moment, Harry thought it was over.

"Get them!"

Five more Slytherins enterred the scene, which was now the compartment plus the corridor outside it. They all sent Stunners everywhere and three of them hit Peter. The poor boy was slumped over a seat, causing Sirius to trip and fall over. Remus launched a few good spells here and there, but was getting tired.

James was fighting fiercely, but no one could compare to Harry. None of them had the experience he had; none of them had been through it all. In ten seconds since the match begun, he alone had taken out three of the five and now only two remained.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Stupefy!"

"Impedimenta!"

"Rictosempra!"

The two finally fell over, and Sirius helped Peter up. With a soft "Ennervate," he revived the poor boy. Remus ran a hand through his messed up hair, and James quickly turned to Harry, forcing him to sit down.

"Does it hurt?" James mumbled, taking a look at Harry's wounded arm. "Oh, of course it does. Um, I don't know many healing spells... Ferula!"

Bandages immediately wrapped around Harry's arm, but were soaked with blood almost immediately. James swore and vanished the useless bandages. He was starting to feel the panic build up.

"Remus, help me out here!"

Neither of them were able to do much, and Harry was starting to feel light-headed. James kept mumbling things like, "Stay with me, Harry," and "You okay?" Remus kept trying different healing spells, but none worked. Sirius was looking in horror, and Peter was shielding his eyes from the blood.

"What is going on here?"

Lily pushed the Marauders away and gasped when she saw Harry. That was the last thing Harry heard before it was all black. 


	17. This Is How We Roll

I'm starting to think Harry could be blacking out way too much in the story. My subconscious is trying to tell me something... Okay, from now on he won't be in trouble too much (although that would be hard, considering who he is).

~oOo~

"What happened?" Lily said, tearing her eyes away from Harry and scanning the scene. There were eight Slytherins on the floor, and blood stained the compartment's floor. She immediately rounded on James. "What did you do?"

"We had to, Lily!" he said, not even looking at her. He was panicking over Harry. "They attacked him, so we joined in the fight! He did most of it though, he took out five of them, I took out two and Remus took out the other-"

"Why did they attack him?" Lily snapped. "Slytherins may not like you, but they wouldn't attack your cousin for no reason!"

James looked desperately at Lily, and she could see the tears forming in his eyes. Lily Evans had never seen James Potter cry before.

"I played a prank on them."

Lily abruptly turned away and revived the Slytherins, ordering them to leave (after returning their hair, that is). She didn't spare James a glance; she just pushed them all away from Harry and examined the cuts.

"Call Severus," she instructed them in a monotone voice.

Peter walked out the door and called for the Slytherin to come back.

"I'm sorry," James mumbled.

Lily turned to him. She was about to tell him that she wouldn't forgive him when she realized James wasn't talking to her. His eyes were focused on Harry, and he rubbed his eyes, refusing to show weakness. For once, Lily Evans was not the center of James Potter's attention.

Peter returned with Snape, and Lily immediately turned to him.

"Sev?" she said uncertainly. "Can you fix him, Sev? Please?"

"Why should I?" Severus snarled. "After all that he put me through..."

"Please, Sev," Lily pleaded. "Harry's innocent. You only just met him."

"And he has already convinced me that he is just as arrogant as his cousin."

Lily clenched her fists. She wanted to shout and scream. Harry was already losing a lot of blood, and there were very few options. She looked at Snape, a look of desperation in her eyes.

"Please, Sev. Do it for me."

Snape shot an angry glare at James, but knelt down next to Lily and began chanting eerily, waving his wand over Harry's body. The wounds started to mend, leaving behind only the blood that was already spilt.

"Thank you, Sev."

Snape tensed and nodded curtly to Lily. Without a word, he stood up and walked away.

James abruptly knelt down next to Harry and felt for a pulse in his wrist.

"His pulse is really weak," he declared.

"Even that's impressive," Remus said, helping Harry sit up. "He was losing so much blood for about three minutes straight, more or less. Most people would be dead by now."

"He took out five of them," Peter said. He hadn't recovered from the shock quite yet. "He took out five Slytherins, all of whom are in the Dueling club."

"I couldn't even hit a single one," Sirius said in awe. "He took out five. FIVE."

"I hope you don't forget this," Lily said, standing up and glaring at James. "Always think of the consequences before you act, Potter. You almost killed an innocent man. It was your cousin, no less!"

"Prongs wasn't the one who almost killed him!" Sirius said heatedly. "It was that git Sniv-"

"She's right, Padfoot," James said softly. "It was my fault."

Lily was shocked. Did James just admit that he made a mistake?

"Er, so I'll see you later then," she said awkwardly. She nodded to all of them and left the compartment, walking straight into a crowd of curious students outside. "There's nothing to see here, guys."

The students looked at her doubtfully, but nodded and dispersed. As soon as she turned to leave, however, they began exchanging their opinions of the fight they had witnessed, and passing on the story to those too far to have seen it.

Lily was still confused. James was so different today. Perhaps it was because of his cousin? She should get to know that guy soon. He took out five dueling Slytherins in a battle... That was impressive...

"What the bloody hell happened?" Alice, her best friend, asked. "What's with all the kerfuffle?"

"Nothing," Lily said, plopping down onto her seat beside Alice. "It was nothing."

~oOo~

When Harry woke up, James was kneeling beside him, absently patting his son's arm. James was looking outside the window, and he seemed very tense. From somewhere to his left, Sirius was using "Scourgify" to clean up blood, and Remus was trying to calm a very shocked and awed Peter down.

"Da-James?" he mumbled, massaging his forehead.

"Shush, Harry," James said, not looking down at his son. "I'm thinking about how to wake you up and apologize."

"What?"

"Blimey, Harry, I'm thinking of how to wake you- HARRY, YOU'RE AWAKE!"

James was instantly pulling Harry up and smiling widely. Remus chuckled and Sirius sniggered, and even Peter laughed.

"You know, James, I don't think I've ever met anybody as thick as you," Harry said, and James gave Harry a noogie.

"You insult me about my looks, now this!" he laughed. Then, he frowned and said, "I'm sorry, Harry, this is my entire fault. You almost died because of a stupid prank."

Harry shrugged it off. "I've been through worse."

Sirius and James became solemn, still refusing to believe that Harry would have an awful life in the future. Remus and Peter looked awed, scared and sorry all at the same time.

"You've been though worse than that?" Peter asked. "Blimey, life must be awful for you."

"It's quite fun, actually," Harry said to lighten the mood.

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful, and the time came when the steam engine slowed down at the Hogsmeade station. Everyone was already dressed, and everyone was ready for the final year at Hogwarts.

"We were in a fight before term officially started," Remus said, shaking his head. "We're dead. It's a miracle we aren't expelled yet, but with this, we're dead."

"Better hope not," Peter said, shivering slightly. "But imagine what McGonagall would do to us if she finds out…"

"Minnie's not that bad," Sirius said as they stepped out into the chilly evening air. "I think we've grown on her over the years."

"Too true, Padfoot," James said, running a hand through his raven locks. "But you have to admit, her temper is very short with us. No matter how hard we try to schmooze our way out."

"Sounds fun," Harry said with a soft chuckle. "I can definitely say I've been through that, too."

Harry could never forget how thin McGonagall's lips became when she was angry, or how stern her gaze was. She never displayed favoritism to her house, except, of course, during Quidditch season.

"So, you're a trouble maker, too, then?" Peter asked Harry, a hopeful and respectful gleam in his eyes.

"Of course," James said proudly as he boarded a carriage. "It's in his blood!"

"Oi," Remus said, shaking his head. "This isn't good."

"Oi, Moony," Sirius said, climbing in and sitting beside James. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "What are you saying? This is great!"

The other three sat in the carriage and the thestrals began to bring them to the castle. The evening was dark, but insistent moonlight thickened the air. Harry watched the thestrals absently, observing their large, scaly wings flop up and down as they trotted.

"What are you looking at?" Peter asked, following Harry's gaze and probably seeing nothing.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," Harry mumbled. Peter, James and Sirius shrugged, and returned to casual conversation. Remus, however, looked at Harry suspiciously and looked at where the thestral was supposed to be.

The castle came into sight, and Harry looked at it sadly. He had forgotten what Hogwarts had looked like before the final battle; what it looked like without the scars on its walls.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Remus asked, looking at the top of the Astronomy tower, silhouetted against the diamond-coated sky.

"Yeah," Harry muttered thoughtfully. "Beautiful…"

They pulled up into the grounds, and the students all got off into the chilly evening air. They chatted as they headed up the stairs where the winged boars stood. Harry stood, looking up at the undamaged Hogwarts castle.

"Well, come on in, Harry," James said with an enthusiastic smile. "We're finally at our last year!"

He and the other Marauders raced up the steps into the warm and welcoming Entrance Hall. Harry smiled sadly, and he followed them slowly, gazing at the wondrous castle's interior.

The boys were just about to enter the Great Hall when five owls swept into their path. A dark grey one settled onto Remus' shoulder and gently pecked at his nose, a large brown one landed on Peter's head, a small black one flew around Sirius, a reddish brown one roosted on James's arm and Soren rested on Harry's shoulder, nibbling his ear affectionately.

"Hello, you," he mumbled, scratching the owl's chin. "Off to the Owlery for you, now."

He gently helped Soren take off, and the owls all swooped out of sight, making a beeline for the Owlery.

"Come on, hurry up!" Sirius insisted as he bounded into the Great Hall. "Need! Food!"

"Now!" Peter added, catching up to Sirius. James laughed raucously and ran after them.

Remus and Harry shared a look, and then followed the other Marauders at a slower pace. They sat themselves on the Gryffindor table, blissfully ignoring all the curious looks from others.

The Sorting began, and Harry enjoyed seeing McGonagall and all the other teachers twenty years younger. He scanned the first-years for a familiar face, but couldn't seem to find any.

The Sorting Hat's song had quite a lot to say.

_Another year will come and go_

_But there's more than meets the eye_

_For there is something only few know_

_A secret, a little white lie_

_Yes, the Sorting Hat knows all_

_No one could deny_

_I may not be strong, or big and tall_

_But you must admit I am wise_

_I know exactly where to put you_

_Be it Slytherin or Gryffindor_

_Or maybe in another house_

_Maybe Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw_

_Cunning, courageous, loyal or wise_

_So many traits in your heart_

_But the one that dominates the rest_

_Will fit you in at Hogwarts_

_But once again, be warned, I say_

_For something is not as it seems_

_But please, do enjoy your stay_

_And fulfill your Wizard dreams_

_So put me on! Don't be scared_

_I know where you belong_

_And with that, my dear friends,_

_I'll finish the Sorting Hat's song!_

Students began chattering excitedly to each other about the odd song. What was all this nonsense about secrets, lies, warnings and things that aren't as they seem? No one knew. No one but Harry, James, Sirius, and Dumbledore, that is.

Harry nervously looked around, and began to feel the curious eyes boring into him. He was sure some of the students got the Sorting Hat's little riddle. The Ravenclaws especially were examining him.

After the Sorting, Dumbledore strode up to his owl podium, looking as powerful as ever. He smiled at the room for a while, and then began his usual before dinner speech.

"Good evening, all you students of Hogwarts!" He greeted joyfully. "Another year to fill up your empty heads has come. I am most pleased to say that we have a transfer student in our midst, Mister Harry Potter from Harrington Academy of Magic. Please treat him as just another student; I'm sure he does not want any attention."

Dumbledore gave Harry a little wink, and Harry smiled back, still conscious of the wondering looks shot at him from all over the room.

"Aside from that, please join me in hopping around the tables to shake off all the unwanted summer thoughts from our brains, yes?"

So, all the students hopped around the room gleefully. The teachers did so as well, albeit reluctantly. Laughter and shrieks of delight filled the air.

Sirius jumped up as high as he could and tackled James to the ground. Harry, upon seeing a chance to finally take revenge on the boys for all the times they squashed him, crash landed right on them.

"Oof!"

"AYIIEEA! Padfoot!"

"HIYAAAA!"

"Aaaaarrrrgggghh!"

"Oh, boy," Remus sighed, unknowingly doing so simultaneously with one Professor McGonagall.

~oOo~

END OF THIS CHAPTER! By the way, you should check out the story I'm co-writing with my friend. It's entitled: Unmasked, under the name romione10. I made the prologue, and I have to say I'm rather proud of the details I infused in the chapter.


	18. Enter Badass Harry

The room was completely dark, except for a single candle glowing beside Remus's bed. Sirius and Peter were snoring in sync quite loudly. James kept turning over on his bed. Remus was still and quiet.

Harry, on the other hand, was wide awake, watching the candle flicker and trying to numb all the thoughts in his brain. He was thinking about his parents and the past, of course, but then he found himself getting sidetracked to different things…

Arcianna. And Ginny.

Why was he dwelling on them? He had only met Arcianna. It's unthinkable to suddenly like someone you've only met… right?

But her lush, wavy brown-black hair… He called it "brack." Not brown, not black. Brack. And her soft giggle. No. She was probably… what, twenty years older than him?

Then there was Ginny. Her vivid red hair. Her light dusting of freckles. Her feisty personality. He missed her so much. The war was over; he wouldn't really be putting her in trouble anymore, right?

Wrong. Voldemort might be gone, but some of his supporters were not. Harry still had to be under protection and guidance at all times. He didn't like it at all. He was perfectly capable of defending himself.

He shook it off, blamed it on hormones, turned over on his bed and forced his eyes shut, trying to lull himself into evasive sleep.

~oOo~

"Prongs!"

"Oi, mate, it's time to get up now."

"James?"

James opened his eyes and saw the Marauders (plus Harry) gathered around his bed, all getting ready. Sirius and Remus walked back to their respective beds; Peter walked over to the bathroom. Harry, whose bed was beside James's, smiled at his father and pulled on a shoe.

"Hey, Harry," James mumbled, getting up and ruffling his very messy hair up some more. He waited for Peter to finish, then walked into the bathroom and got ready, whilst thinking.

He was finally a seventh year. It was his last year to finally get Lily to like him. Harry had said that Lily fell for him in this year, but nevertheless, he could still mess up. After all, if he lost Lily, he would lose Harry too. He didn't want to lose any of them.

But there was nothing he could do about one little glitch in the future. He and Lily would lose Harry, whether they liked it or not.

He took a deep breath and looked up at himself in the mirror. His hair was messy, as usual. His sleeves were rolled up, just like Sirius's. His Gryffindor tie was loosely done, like Harry's. Sirius's wasn't done at all. Remus was neat and tidy; Peter was half-and-half.

"Breakfassssssst," Sirius said, and then he pelted out the door like a rocket. Peter followed him, yelling "FOOOOOOOOD!"

Remus shook his head and followed them at a slower pace, leaving father and son in the room. Harry smiled sleepily at his father and began walking to the Great Hall, with James close behind.

"Do you think McGonagall knows about the fight?" Harry asked James casually, subconsciously running a hand though his hair.

"Hard to say," James answered with a casual shrug. "The whole student body knows, but nobody is too keen on telling on us just yet." He gave his son a small wink, and Harry somehow got the idea that they had severe prank punishments for tattletales.

"What about the Slytherins?"

"They can be bargained with," James said with a smirk.

They walked into the Entrance Hall, which was just filling. They walked over to their usual seats beside Remus, Sirius and Peter, and they all began chomping down on the food gloriously laid out in front of them on the gleaming golden dishes.

"What do we have today, Moony?" James asked, folding his arms on the table and leaning forward slightly.

"Let's see," Remus answered, consulting his schedule. "Charms first. Then we have Transfiguration. Then in the afternoon, Double Potions and Divination."

"Lovely," Harry sighed sarcastically.

"Not a fan of Divination?" Peter asked innocently.

"No, not really," Harry said honestly. "Let's just say it's not my best subject."

They exchanged banter for a while, and Harry enjoyed the carefree aura of the Marauders. It was a far cry from his life, where every single detail mattered… where a single mistake could make everything fall apart.

"Enjoying yourselves, are you now?"

The Marauders turned around to see Snape standing over them with a loathing look in his cold black eyes.

"Why, yes, actually," Sirius answered nonchalantly. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Oh, no problem at all," Snape sneered. "Of course, you'd be enjoying the little time you have left here, before you are expelled."

"And why would be expelled?" James asked innocently.

"Oh, I don't know," Snape mocked, "Maybe… for attacking us yesterday. News travels incredibly fast in Hogwarts."

"Who'd tell on us?" Sirius challenged.

While the conversation drew on, Harry observed the Marauders. Sirius and James stood up effortlessly to Snape, making witty comments and enraging the Slytherin. Remus tried to stay out of it, very much like he did in Snape's Pensieve. Peter followed the argument eagerly, but didn't get involved.

"_I_ would," Snape answered maliciously.

"_I_ wouldn't," James countered, and a flash of fear and anger settled on his face before the usual cool, calm and collectedness reappeared. He was now standing face-to-face with Snape, and the student body all had their eyes glued on the scene. Of course, everyone probably knew what happened. Very few teachers were present, most were preparing for the first lessons, and those present seemed to be trying to shut out the scene from their view.

"You know what we could do to you if you told," Sirius added, standing and joining James.

"You wouldn't be able to do anything, because you'd be expelled by then," Snape said with an air of triumph.

James and Sirius seemed to realize this, and couldn't think of anything to say. Harry finally decided to end this and stood up from the table, joining his father and godfather and putting on a haughty smile worthy of a Malfoy.

"That's true," Harry said confidently, "but unfortunately, you just ruined that by telling us you'd be telling. Technically, we know what you're planning and therefore very much capable of stopping that now, at this moment. Otherwise, hell could be given from distant places, sir. Have a nice day."

Harry sat back down and received a look of admiration from the Marauders. He heard Snape beginning to say something, but he held up his hand and continued eating. Puzzled and undoubtedly fearful, the Slytherin turned and walked away swiftly.

Sirius let out a barking laugh and clapped Harry on the back as he sat back down. James smiled and chuckled, lightly punching his son on the shoulder. All Peter could say was "wow" and even Remus allowed the corner of his lips to lift a tiny bit.

Harry had to admit, it felt good to be a part of something. It was very unlike him to be so… so… carefree, confident and a tiny bit haughty. But he didn't really care at that moment. The war was over, and he only had a year to spend with his family. Why not make the best of it? It couldn't really change anything, could it?

From the corner of his eye, he saw Lily looking straight at him, a calculating look in her emerald eyes. And did he detect, maybe, a tiny bit of a smile?

MUST READ AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for the extreme tardiness of this update. Also, my dear friend Fun will be joining the party soon.


	19. To Proceed

**It's been two months.**

**I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry.**

**I have been so caught up in months long Pre-Potter Anticipation and Post-Potter Depression. I WILL MAKE IT UP TO YOU OKAY**

**Evanna Lynch is hanging out with the Starkids! MY HEART 3**

**Disclaimer: *disclaims disclaims***

"Do you think he'd still tell?" Peter asked as the Marauders headed off to the Charms classroom. "I mean, he still could, right?"

"Right," Remus answered. "But I doubt he will. What Harry told him was very persuading. I don't think he'd risk it."

"Maybe _he _wouldn't risk it, he's a chicken," Sirius said, smirking mischievously. "But why shouldn't _we_?"

Harry had a very good idea where this was going. He observed his father, who was uncharacteristically silent throughout the conversation. He looked like he was deep in thought.

"James," Harry said slowly, lightly prodding his father on the shoulder. "I know that look. What are you planning? Or, rather, scheming?"

James looked at him with an almost convincing innocent smile. "Who, me? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, Harry. Why would you even think that I'm scheming?"

"Cousin's intuition," Harry answered, rolling his eyes. "Spill. Now."

~oOo~

"Spill. Now."

Lily blushed. Her best friend, Alice, was asking so many questions. She wrapped up her half-eaten blueberry muffin and tossed it aside.

"Spill what?" She asked.

"You really are no good at lying, Lily, dearest," Alice teased, lightly tapping Lily's freckled nose. "You've been staring at James Potter again."

"I was not!" Lily exclaimed, pushing her books into her bag. There was no preventing the blush staining her cheeks.

"Yes, you were," Alice said with a giggle, standing up and adjusting the strap on her shoulder bag. "You were _so _staring at that direction."

"That does _not _mean I was staring at James Potter, Alice," Lily sighed in exasperation. She stood up and together the girls began their slow girl walk to the Charms classroom.

Alice was being unnaturally quiet, and for a moment Lily thought she had finally won their seemingly endless debate. But as she turned to look at her friend, who had her mouth hanging wide open, she realized she was severely mistaken.

"What?" She demanded.

"You were staring at _Harry _Potter!" Alice said, with her eyes wide and almost choking on her words. "Lily! How could you? He looks exactly like James, might as well give everyone else a chance, I mean, James is absolutely smitten and—"

Lily swiftly clamped both her hands on her best friend's mouth before more damage could be done, considering they were in a crowded hallway.

"Hush," Lily hissed into Alice's ear. "I was just… I mean, I… I wasn't _staring _at him, I… I was… _observing _him."

Alice giggled, but Lily's hands muffled it and it came out as more of a snort. She forced Lily's hands away and laughed freely.

"_Observing him_?" She guffawed. "Why would he need to be observed?"

Lily was now a bright shade of scarlet, almost as vivid as her hair. "He's... He's a new student! A new Marauder, no less! Plus, haven't you heard of the fight yesterday? He took out five Slytherins! He… He needs to be put under surveillance! As Head Girl, it is my job to ensure the safety of all students and I need to know if he's a violent bloke, I mean, obviously he was provoked yesterday but—"

It was now Alice's turn to clamp a hand on Lily's mouth.

"Why, Lily dearest! You're rambling again," Alice exclaimed. "You only ramble when you're in a hot spot. Now, I wonder why…"

"Oh, shut up, Alice," Lily said, entering the Charms classroom.

~oOo~

"Good morning, students!" Flitwick greeted as the seventh year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs filed in. "I trust you all had a good holiday?"

A general murmur of assent issued from the students, and Flitwick answered with a nod. He pulled out a long roll of parchment from his drawer, climbed up his usual pile of books and began the roll call.

Harry was seated beside Remus, directly in front of James and Sirius. Peter sat beside Remus, but he glanced back at James and Sirius often, and seemed to be mimicking their movements.

James was leaning far back, so that only the back legs of his chair were on the ground. His hands were tucked behind his head and his legs were crossed… the typical pose of the typical _cool_ guy.

Sirius, on the other hand, rested his forehead on the table and merely mumbled "mm" when his name was called… the typical pose of the typical _lazy_ guy.

Remus was posture perfect and alert. His feet were flat on the ground and he had his quill and parchment ready on the table in front of him… the typical pose of the typical _diligent _guy.

Peter tried mirroring James's pose, but leaned too far back and almost fell over. So he settled for Sirius's pose instead… The typical pose of the typical… _Peter._

Harry was more laid back than Remus, but more alert then Sirius. He was absently tapping his foot on the floor and slouched a little in his seat, twirling his wand in his right hand… the typical pose of the _typical _guy.

He had to admit, it was surreal to be back in the classroom.

"Potter, Harry," Flitwick called. He looked up from his parchment and eyed Harry carefully, as if he was not entirely sure what to make of Harry. Was he a troublemaker or a nice guy?

Harry answered with a small smile, and Flitwick gazed at him hopefully, as if to say, "I sincerely hope you are different from your cousin, Mr. Potter. So far, so good."

"Potter, James," Flitwick called next, and James answered with a big yawn.

"Sorry, Professor Flitwick," he chuckled, and Flitwick shook his head and finished the roll call.

"Good, everyone's here," Flitwick announced joyfully. "And with that, let us begin our N.E.W.T. year! You must all understand the utmost importance of this year, it is vital to surviving in the Wizarding World! It is your key to understanding the work you will be facing, the preparation…"

Harry tuned Flitwick out and tapped Remus on the forearm.

"Yes?" Remus whispered as he jotted down notes from Flitwick's speech.

"Remus," Harry whispered back, still twirling his wand. "What do you think of James's plan?"

"Fairly well thought out," Remus answered, "Could use a bit of tweaking here and there, and will definitely give the desired results."

"Yeah, but," Harry continued, "Do you think we should put it into action?"

Remus eyed Harry. "I thought you were used to troublemaking."

"I am," Harry answered carefully, "just not in this particular way. I never really had the time, and I'm new here, I'm not sure if it's a good idea."

"Have I finally met someone who agrees with me?" Remus chuckled under his breath. "But, listen, Harry. When Prongs and Padfoot decide on a prank, there is no preventing it. I speak from experience."

Harry nodded. He understood everything completely. It was like staring into a Pensieve all over again, only he could feel and be felt. It was so real… yet so distant…

"This should be interesting," Harry sighed.

Harry had certain instincts he had developed over the years. For instance, he could feel eyes following him from across the room. In this case, it was a brilliant pair of emerald eyes, which of course belonged to his mother.

Lily was watching him from his right, trying and failing miserably at being covert. Harry suppressed a smile and leaned back into his chair a bit and casually looked her way.

Predictably, she dropped her gaze immediately and looked away. Typical.

He looked distantly out the window, but kept watch on her from the corner of his eye. She instantly locked onto him again and Harry couldn't help but chuckle lightly.

Sadly, Lily did not know this was about her poor spying skills and continued to stare at him. In fact, he looked more intently at him and seemed to completely forget that she was not supposed to be so interested in him.

And James was beyond freaked out.

His crush and future wife was staring at their future son. Odd.

He tried to stay calm, and noticed Harry chuckling a bit. Evidently, Harry was amused by Lily's severe lack of covert skills, so why should James make a big deal out of it? He took a deep breath and tried to pay attention to Flitwick or even tweak his plan, but it was a lost cause.

Lily's eyes bore into Harry's right side, and it took a great deal of Harry's self-discipline to keep himself from cracking up. He stared at his parchment and absently began doodling, and ended up writing about his father's brilliant prank idea. It was very Muggle-esque, actually, much to everyone's surprise.

Water balloons here, disillusionment charms there, levitated sacks of feathers, a red rubber glove, ice cream cones… It must have been the most immature prank they have ever thought of. But it should be incredible to watch.

Before he knew it, the bell had rung.

The emerald eyes had not left him.

**THE MOVIE WAS SO **

**Also, a big prank's coming up two chapters from now. Reviews feed my inspiration!**


	20. Don't Assume

**TIS HERE!**

**Extremely short update. SUPER long one next, it's the prank arc next.**

**Just wanted to let you know that I am trying to make Harry act differently in these chapters, because he's trying to just wing it and live for once, and finds it surprisingly easy with the help of the Marauders.**

**I'm fueled by Mama CP's possible update!**

**Also, spot the How I Met Your Mother reference! Well, not quite, but it's somewhat there…**

The Marauders rocketed out of the classroom, but Harry waved them off, telling them he needed to speak to Professor Flitwick about Harrington. James gave him an unreadable look, but went off with the others. Harry made a great show of fixing his belongings into his bag.

And when a certain redhead from the front of the class started walking beside him with her dark haired friend, he stood up abruptly and flashed a smile.

"Hullo," he said with that brilliant smile of his.

"Er, hello," Alice said, smiling at him, looking a little dazed. "I- I'm Alice, and this is-"

"I know," Harry cut her off, emerald eyes not leaving the other set of emerald eyes before him. "Lily Evans. How could I forget?"

Alice looked disappointed and shot her best friend a look before looking back at Harry and saying, "Right. Never mind, I'll leave you two alone. I have to meet up with _my boyfriend, _anyway."

And with that, she stormed off, muttering about Potters and their distinct preference of redheads (Harry had to stifle a laugh as his thoughts immediately went to Ginny).

Lily looked into Harry's eyes, but when Harry just continued looking back steadily, she dropped her gaze and began fiddling with her hair.

"You aren't a very good spy, Lily," Harry finally said after a long period of silence.

There was no preventing the redness that stained Lily's pale skin, turning even her neck red. She looked back up into his eyes, but dropped them immediately and said, "I was _not-"_

"You were," Harry said with a chuckle, unconsciously running a hand through his hair, unconsciously reminding Lily of another Potter. "You can't even look me in the eyes."

Lily harrumphed.

"Why were you looking at me, anyway?"

"… You're strange."

Harry let out a loud laugh, echoing in the empty room. "And quite proud of it, thank you," he mumbled. "That does not answer my question."

"Actually, it does," Lily said, barely audible, still with her averted gaze. "You are just so… different." She looked up straight into his eyes. "And I intend to find out what it is about you that makes you so strange."

"…Good luck with that," Harry mumbled in total seriousness. Lily could tell he was hiding something beneath those bangs (Quite literally – she saw the scar and heard rumors, but it was tactless to simply ask).

She moved to start walking again, but he placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"One more thing, Lily," Harry said, still not quite used to calling his mother by her first name. "Give my cousin a shot, will you? He may be a complete _lunatic_, but he's really trying. I've never seen him try so hard to get a girl before. You're special."

Lily was surprised to find herself smiling. She abruptly stopped, felt the familiar blush creep up her face, and without responding, turned to leave.

Harry found himself smirking as he walked off to find the Marauders.

"Potter," he heard the unmistakable voice come from behind him, deep and gruff, menacing and obviously in a tone of loathing.

Without turning around, Harry answered. "Severus," he said. He kept on walking at an easy pace; searching for the infamous group of guys he hung out with. He heard Snape's footsteps follow him.

Snape was mildly surprised.

"Severus?" he repeated. "Not Snivellus? Or not even Snape?"

Harry laughed softly. He turned on his heel, and looked straight into those cold black eyes, searching even for the slightest bit of kindness in those orbs. Nothing. Contempt managed to swallow the compassion whole.

"Don't, Severus," Harry said, running a hand through his hair, instantly getting on Snape's nerves. The action was too much James-like. "Don't assume anything about me. I've had to go through so much of that already."

Snape was taken aback. He eyed Harry warily as the other Potter turned on his heel and swiftly walked away.

~oOo~

**Reviews are appreciated, and Coca Cola is demanded.**


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